Small-cell lung cancer in a young, female, never-smoker

Abstract

Small-cell lung cancer accounts for approximately 13% of lung cancers diagnosed worldwide. The vast majority of patients are elderly and current or past heavy smokers. Cases rarely occur in the young or never-smokers. We report a case of a 21-year-old female who had never smoked and initially presented with a history of cough and exertional dyspnoea. Histology showed a small-cell neuroendocrine tumor and imaging confirmed extensive stage disease. Literature review found five other cases of small-cell lung cancer in patients under 30 years. This case highlights the need for international studies to determine genomic differences between the young and elderly and never-smokers and smokers to aid the development of new targeted therapies in this rare and difficult to treat malignancy.