Management of recurrent small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer remains one of the more frustrating malignancies for oncologists to treat. Although responses to initial platinum-based chemotherapy are high, most are not durable, and many patients are candidates for further palliative chemotherapy. Therapeutic options include reinduction or single-agent chemotherapy, depending on the duration of response to front-line treatment. Topotecan is the only approved agent for patients with relapsed disease. Several phase II studies have shown a modest benefit with other agents used today, although combination chemotherapy should be avoided because of increased toxicity. Palliative care should always be the focus, especially in patients with recurrent or chemorefractory small cell lung cancer and a poor performance status.