Treatment for small-cell lung cancer

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 13-20% of all lung cancers. Stongly associated with smoking and initially responsive to treatment, it results in death within 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 and has a high initial response rate of 60-70% but the median survival is only 10 months. All patients achieving a complete remission should be offered prophylactic cranial irradiation. Relapsed or refractory SCLC has a uniformly poor prognosis