small-cell lung cancer

noun

: cancer of a highly malignant form that affects the lungs, tends to metastasize to other parts of the body, and is characterized by small round or oval cells which resemble oat grains and have little cytoplasm

called also small-cell carcinoma

Examples of small-cell lung cancer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Sadly, two weeks later, Marty died of small-cell lung cancer. Kai Bird, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2024 Two years earlier, he had been diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer. David Amsden, Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2023 Her sister and only immediate survivor, Patricia Pollok, said the cause was small-cell lung cancer. Penelope Green, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2022 Normally, determining what treatment will work for people with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is invasive and time-consuming. Jennifer Walter, Discover Magazine, 17 Sep. 2019 Another tunicate, Ecteinascidia turbinata, which attaches to submerged mangrove roots, yielded the molecular mixture that led to Yondelis, a sarcoma and ovarian cancer drug, and Zepzelca, which targets small-cell lung cancer. Stephanie Stone, Scientific American, 23 July 2022 Lilly had been planning to introduce Tyvyt as a treatment for non-small-cell lung cancer at a lower price than comparable treatments in the U.S., such as Merck’s Keytruda and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. Peter Loftus, WSJ, 24 Mar. 2022 Lengo’s molecule aims to enable treatment or prevention of brain metastases, which are a particular risk for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Mike Freeman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Nov. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'small-cell lung cancer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of small-cell lung cancer was in 1975

Dictionary Entries Near small-cell lung cancer

Cite this Entry

“Small-cell lung cancer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/small-cell%20lung%20cancer. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

small-cell lung cancer

noun
: cancer of a highly malignant form that affects the lungs, tends to metastasize to other parts of the body, and is characterized by small round or oval cells resembling oat grains and having a high ratio of nuclear protoplasm to cytoplasm

called also oat-cell cancer, oat-cell carcinoma, small-cell carcinoma, small-cell lung carcinoma

Last Updated: - Definition revised
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