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Ten years of disease-free survival between two diagnoses of small-cell lung cancer

A case report and a literature review

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Abstract

Small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) represents one-fifth of all cases of bronchopulmonary cancer and has a 5-yr survival of 2–4%. Long-term survivors of SCLC are at risk for developing second primary aerodigestive tumors. We report a case of a long-term survivor who had a 10-yr disease-free survival between two diagnoses of SCLC. A literature review identified four case reports and seven review series with a total of 26 cases of 5-yr disease-free survivors of SCLC who developed a second SCLC. A total of 4574 patients were reported in the review series. Five-year disease-free survival was documented in 139 of 4574 patients. Twenty-two (15.8%) of those developed a second SCLC over the next 7 yr of follow up, with an averaged annual incidence equal to fivefold that of the general population. Earlier reports of a slow radiographic doubling time for some cases of SCLC suggests that survivors of SCLC may still develop a recurrent SCLC following 12 yr of disease-free follow up. It remains difficult to ascertain whether a second SCLC is a recurrence or a second primary tumor in the absence of a preneoplastic lesion for SCLC. New genetic markers may hold the answer. They may also help screen high-risk patients including survivors of SCLC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, USA

    M. Al-Ajam

  2. Department of Pathology, Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, State University of New York, Downstate Medical Center, USA

    A. Seymour

  3. Division of Infectious Diseases, State University of New York, USA

    M. Mooty

  4. Downstate Medical Center, and Division of Hematology Oncology, Department of Veterans Affairs New York Harbor Healthcare System, State University of New York Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY

    A. Leaf

Authors
  1. M. Al-Ajam
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  2. A. Seymour
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  3. M. Mooty
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  4. A. Leaf
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Correspondence to M. Al-Ajam.

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The authors are employees of the US government. This manuscript has not been funded by any agency. It represents solely a scholarly academic activity undertaken by the authors.

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Al-Ajam, M., Seymour, A., Mooty, M. et al. Ten years of disease-free survival between two diagnoses of small-cell lung cancer. Med Oncol 22, 89–97 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1385/MO:22:1:089

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