A dry cough can be a warning sign of cancer.

After a month of progressively worsening dry cough, the male patient went for a check-up and was found to have large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma combined with squamous cell carcinoma.

According to the patient, for the past month, Mr. CTH (76 years old, from Bac Ninh ) has experienced symptoms of a dry cough, a condition that lasted for a month and gradually worsened. Mr. H. had used medication but it did not help, so he decided to go to Medlatec General Hospital for examination.

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Following the clinical examination, the doctor ordered the necessary paraclinical techniques to aid in diagnosis. A chest CT scan revealed a dense, hazy mass in the upper lobe of the left lung, measuring 43x45mm, with uneven contrast enhancement.

Upon detecting abnormal signs, the doctor ordered a histopathological examination, diagnosing non-small cell carcinoma. After performing immunohistochemical testing for definitive diagnosis, the patient's condition was concluded to be large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma combined with poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (stage T2bNxMx). Following the accurate diagnosis, the patient received appropriate treatment advice from the doctor.

It is known that large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (belonging to the neuroendocrine carcinoma group) is a poorly differentiated carcinoma, consisting of large cells with neuroendocrine characteristics, prominent nuclei, high mitotic rate, and necrosis.

This condition belongs to the neuroendocrine tumor group according to the WHO 2021 classification, is a rare thoracic tumor, and accounts for only 3% of all lung cancers.

Large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma has a very high malignancy rate, a high recurrence rate, and a lower survival rate compared to other non-small cell cancers.

Even with early detection, the average survival time after diagnosis is still low.

In Mr. H.'s case, it is even rarer because he has large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma accompanied by squamous cell carcinoma (a subtype of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma).

According to Dr. Vu Xuan Ngoc from the Medlatec Pathology Center, this is likely one of the first cases discovered in Vietnam, as diagnosing this particular case has been extremely difficult.

Doctors at Medlatec Hospital believe that large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma is clinically diagnosed with atypical symptoms.

Additionally, there are several characteristics such as a higher incidence in men than women, symptoms including dry cough and phlegm production, and a strong association with long-term smoking.

Histopathology is considered the gold standard in diagnosing this malignancy, with the following five criteria: Cells exhibiting characteristics of non-small cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine morphological structures (trabecular, band, barrier, pseudoroseclinic); high mitotic rate (>10 NC/10HPF); extensive necrosis; presence of tumor components exhibiting cytological characteristics of other non-small cell carcinoma groups; IHC: Tumor cells positive for neuroendocrine and histochemical markers of the corresponding non-small cell carcinoma component.

Cancer is a significant burden on public health and the economy . According to the latest statistics from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (Globocan), Vietnam is estimated to have 180,480 new cases and 120,184 deaths from cancer each year.

In 2022, Vietnam ranked 90th out of 185 countries in terms of incidence rate, an increase of 9 places compared to 2018. Regarding mortality rate, Vietnam ranked 50th out of 185. Among the leading cancers were breast cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer, with incidence and mortality rates increasing year by year.

According to Globocan, in Vietnam, non-communicable diseases account for 77% of all deaths each year, with cancer being the second leading cause.

In Vietnam, colorectal cancer is among the four most common cancers. The disease is on the rise; according to Globocan 2022, there were 16,800 new cases and approximately 8,400 deaths annually.

Furthermore, according to Globocan data from 2022, thyroid cancer ranked 6th with 6,122 new cases, while in 2020 it ranked 10th in terms of new cases in Vietnam. This data shows a rapid increase in thyroid cancer cases.

According to Mr. Le Van Quang, Director of K Hospital, the facility examined 446,830 patients in 2023, an increase of 34% compared to 2022.

Of these, the number of surgeries exceeded 30,600 (an increase of 22%); the number of chemotherapy sessions was nearly 36,000 (an increase of 29%) and the number of radiotherapy sessions was nearly 15,900 (an increase of 29%).

Common cancers in men include liver, lung, stomach, colorectal, and prostate cancer (accounting for approximately 65.8% of all cancers).

In women, common cancers include breast, lung, colorectal, stomach, and liver cancer (accounting for approximately 59.4% of all cancers). Common cancers for both sexes are liver, lung, breast, stomach, and colorectal cancer.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/ho-khan-co-the-canh-bao-ung-thu-d226822.html