Small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (sometimes called oat cell lung cancer) accounts for approximately 20 percent of all lung cancer cases. The extent of the disease is described using a two-stage system. These are "limited stage" disease (seen in about 30% of all patients with SCLC) and "extensive stage” disease (seen in about 70%). A case can either be limited, meaning the cancer is confined to a portion of the chest where it originated, or extensive, meaning the cancer has spread throughout or from the chest.