Small cell lung cancer is one of the basic types of lung cancer and belongs to undifferentiated carcinoma, which is a tumor of higher malignancy. Small cell lung cancer has a shorter symptomatic period before diagnosis than other types of lung cancer, and the survival period after diagnosis is also short. Without treatment, the median survival of patients with small cell lung cancer is less than three months from diagnosis, and the two-year survival rate is less than 1%. Small cell carcinoma accounts for approximately 20% of all types of lung cancer. The age of onset is young, mostly in men, and most patients have a history of smoking. It usually originates from larger bronchi and is mostly central lung cancer. Small cell carcinoma has the worst prognosis among all types of lung cancer because of its low differentiation, rapid growth, early lymphatic metastasis and extensive metastasis to distant organs and tissues via blood vessels. Small cell carcinoma is highly sensitive to radiation therapy and/or anti-cancer drug treatment. Treatment generally does not advocate surgery, but mainly systemic chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This type of lung cancer is more malignant and has a poor prognosis. Patients with fever and cough are common symptoms of lung cancer, and headache should be alerted to brain metastasis, and cranial CT examination is highly recommended. Classification Small cell lung cancer is divided into limited stage and extensive stage. Most small cell lung cancers are already in extensive stage when diagnosed, and limited stage accounts for at most 1/3. Treatment For small cell lung cancer patients, Western medicine mainly treats them with chemotherapy, mainly systemic chemotherapy, together with radiation therapy; Chinese medicine treats this disease mainly with evidence-based treatment, mostly together with chemotherapy. Chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer The main method of treatment for small cell lung cancer is chemotherapy. The efficacy of chemotherapy mostly appears within 12 weeks after the start of treatment, and further increase in efficacy can rarely be seen thereafter. Studies have shown that combination chemotherapy regimens using chemotherapeutic agents effective for small cell lung cancer achieve better efficiency and survival rates than single agent chemotherapy. Radiotherapy for small cell lung cancer Because of the high rate of local recurrence of small cell lung cancer in the chest cavity when treated with chemotherapy alone, it is advocated to supplement the chemotherapy process with radiotherapy of the primary focus in the chest cavity to improve the local control rate of intrathoracic tumors. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for small cell lung cancer Traditional Chinese medicine treatment for small cell lung cancer is mainly based on the combination of Chinese and Western medicine, mostly in combination with chemotherapy or radiotherapy to eliminate the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and clinically reported Chinese medicines with more satisfactory effects include ginseng lotus granule, yi lung clearing cream, lung scattering pill, etc. Surgery for small cell lung cancer It is usually believed that all patients with histological, cytological or clinical diagnosis of lung cancer, as long as the disease stage is before stage II and there are no absolute contraindications, can be listed as candidates for surgery. However, due to the high malignancy and early metastasis of small cell carcinoma, surgical treatment is generally considered inappropriate.