Neither inadequacy of biopsy nor inaccuracy of reporting predict non-response to small-cell carcinoma chemotherapy
- T N Doig1,
- W A Wallace1,
- D M Salter1,
- H Monaghan1,
- E Brown2
- 1Department of Laboratory Services (Pathology), Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- 2Edinburgh Cancer Centre, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
- Correspondence to: H Monaghan Department of Laboratory Services (Pathology), Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Little France, Edinburgh EH16 4SA, UK;hannah.monaghan{at}luht.scot.nhs.uk
Lung cancer is the second most common cancer in the UK, accounting for one in seven new cancer diagnoses and 22% of cancer deaths (http://info.cancerresearchuk.org/cancerstats). Small-cell carcinoma (SCC) accounts for 20% of lung cancers, with most of these presenting at an advanced stage and being treated using chemotherapy and radiotherapy. About 25% of patients do not respond to chemotherapy. The reasons for this are uncertain and may be because of the heterogeneity of the disease or inaccurate pathological diagnosis, which …
