Question
Which of the following are correct with regard to lung cancer?
1. Surgical resection has a limited role in curative treatment of lung cancer.
2. Pattern of disease and prognosis of oat cell carcinoma are different to other varieties in the lungs.
3. Small cell lung cancer is a type of Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET).
4. Squamous cancer appears as a cavitating tumour in the lungs.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
The correct answer is
1, 2, 3 and 4
Lung Cancer Statements Analysis
All four statements given in the question are medically accurate, making "1, 2, 3 and 4" the correct answer.
- Statement 1: Surgical resection has a limited role in curative treatment of lung cancer. This is correct. The majority of lung cancer patients present at an advanced/inoperable stage, and small cell lung cancer (SCLC) — which accounts for a significant proportion of cases — is almost never treated with surgery due to its early systemic spread. Even in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), only early-stage (Stage I/II) disease is amenable to curative surgery, so overall, surgical resection has a limited role across the disease as a whole.
- Statement 2: Pattern of disease and prognosis of oat cell carcinoma are different to other varieties in the lungs. This is correct. Oat cell carcinoma (a historical term for small cell lung cancer) behaves very differently from other lung cancer types — it grows rapidly, metastasizes early and widely (often before diagnosis), is strongly associated with paraneoplastic syndromes, and though initially chemo/radio-sensitive, carries a poorer long-term prognosis than most non-small cell varieties.
- Statement 3: Small cell lung cancer is a type of Neuroendocrine Tumour (NET). This is correct. SCLC arises from neuroendocrine (Kulchitsky) cells in the bronchial epithelium and is classified, along with carcinoid tumours and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, under the neuroendocrine tumour category of lung cancers.
- Statement 4: Squamous cancer appears as a cavitating tumour in the lungs. This is correct. Squamous cell carcinoma typically arises centrally near the major bronchi and has a well-recognised tendency to undergo central necrosis, producing a cavitating lesion visible on imaging — a classic distinguishing radiological feature compared to other lung cancer subtypes.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
- "1 and 2 only" incorrectly excludes statements 3 and 4, both of which are factually valid.
- "2, 3 and 4 only" incorrectly excludes statement 1, even though the limited overall role of surgery in curative lung cancer treatment is well established.
- "3 and 4 only" incorrectly excludes statements 1 and 2, both of which are accurate descriptions of lung cancer behaviour and prognosis.
Final Conclusion
Since all four statements are correct, the right code is "1, 2, 3 and 4".
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Important Questions from Chest & Lung Surgery
- Left Internal Mammary Artery (LIMA) has become the conduit of choice for Left Anterior Descending (LAD) artery during coronary artery bypass grafting because:
- A 50-year old male with significant smoking history presented in the surgical emergency with sudden severe breathlessness. Chest X-ray shows right sided Pneumothorax. The appropriate management requires:
- During subclavian vein puncture in a surgical ward suddenly a patient developed severe breathlessness. On auscultation breath sound was absent and the ipsilateral chest was tympanitic on percussion. The probable diagnosis is:
- A 50 year old male presented with pain along the left arm and ptosis. His chest X-ray showed soft tissue opacity at the apex of the left lung along with the erosion of the adjacent rib. The probable diagnosis is:
- Which of the following are the Indications for lung transplantation?
1. Emphysema
2. Primary pulmonary hypertension
3. Obliterative bronchiolitis
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
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