Breaking the stereotype: small cell lung cancer in a never-smoking patient

In the United States, lung cancer is the second most common type of cancer whilst also accounting for 1 in 5 cancer deaths, making it also the deadliest. The vast majority of lung cancer is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), contributing to 87% of all cases, while small cell lung cancer (SCLC) makes up about 13% of all lung cancers1. While SCLC is strongly related to smoking history, here we present a 65-year-old African-American male without a history of smoking tobacco presenting with a rapid progression of unilateral thoracic pain, dyspnea, and unintentional weight loss. The diagnostic work-up included concomitant chest radiography and a computed tomography (CT) scan without contrast, which revealed a dense mass in the right lung. The patient underwent oncologic lung resection followed by chemotherapy and radiation. Considering the close association of SCLC with tobacco and the reduced likelihood of African-American men developing SCLC compared to Caucasian men, here we present a rare and interesting case of SCLC in a never-smoker African-American man.