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Case Reports
. 2025 Jun 15;17(6):e86093.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.86093. eCollection 2025 Jun.

Defying the Odds: Small Cell Lung Cancer with Essential Thrombocythemia and Secondary Cancers

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Case Reports

Defying the Odds: Small Cell Lung Cancer with Essential Thrombocythemia and Secondary Cancers

Mathew George et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy with historically poor survival outcomes, especially in patients with significant comorbidities. This report presents a rare case of a 65-year-old woman with limited-stage SCLC and JAK2-positive essential thrombocythemia (ET), who subsequently developed multiple malignancies including papillary thyroid carcinoma, right-sided colon adenocarcinoma, and basal cell carcinoma. Despite serious complications such as subdural hematoma and intra-abdominal bleeding, the patient remains clinically stable over a decade after her initial diagnosis. Genetic testing revealed no hereditary cancer syndromes, suggesting a potential role of chronic inflammation and prior therapies in her cancer trajectory. This case underscores the importance of early aggressive therapy, vigilant long-term follow-up, and multidisciplinary coordination in managing complex oncologic and hematologic conditions.

Keywords: essential thrombocythemia; jak2 mutation; myeloproliferative neoplasm; secondary malignancies; small cell lung cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve human participants or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. CT Chest.
September 2010 demonstrating 10.6 cm mass in left upper hemithorax. A. Axial view. B. Coronal view.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Histopathology results demonstrating small cell carcinoma of lung.
A. Papanicolaou (Pap) stain. B. CD56 stain.

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