An update on small cell lung cancer therapy

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 13-20% of all lung cancers. Highly smoking related and initially responsive to treatment, it leads to rapid death in 2-4 months without treatment. Limited-stage disease is treated with curative intent with chemotherapy and radiation therapy, with approximately 20% of patients achieving a cure. Extensive-stage disease is primarily treated with chemotherapy, with a high initial response rate of 60-70%, but with a median survival of 10 months. All patients achieving a complete remission should be offered prophylactic cranial irradiation. Relapsed or refractory SCLC has a uniformly poor prognosis