SCLC & the CBTRC

Studying the similarities between children's brain tumours and small cell lung carcinoma

SCLC stands for small cell lung carcinoma – one of the two main types of lung cancer. The other main type is non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), which accounts for around 80% of all lung cancers.

NSCLC can again be split into three main types ­– adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and large cell carcinoma. These types are named after the type of cells found in the tumour.

SCLC is neuroendocrine tumour of the lung that occurs frequently in cigarette smokers. It has the most aggressive clinical course of any type of lung tumour and accounts for nearly 20% of all lung cancers. SCLC spreads and forms other tumours elsewhere in the body (metastasizes), and as a result doesn’t respond to surgery but does respond to chemotherapy. The disease commonly causes clinical hormone syndromes such as Cushing's Syndrome, due to the tumour secreting inappropriate hormones

Nearly all cases of SCLC cancer show a deletion (or depletion?) of the short arm of chromosome 3 and it’s believed that currently unidentified tumour suppressor genes reside in this region. SCLC is commonly associated with paraneoplastic syndromes such as Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome, cerebellar degeneration, encephalomyelitis and sensory neuropathy. All these paraneoplastic syndromes are due to the tumour causing the body to produce antibodies against its own immune system.

As a result, the CNS (central nervous system) degenerates – thought to be directed against Purkinje cells (a type of nerve cell found in the cerebellum), although other antineuronal antibodies have also been described. Due to the relationship between the central nervous system and child brain tumours, it is likely there are similarities between the two diseases.