[Role of surgery in small cell lung cancer]

Role of surgery in small cell lung cancer Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a very aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma that accounts for approximately 10-15% of all lung cancer cases. This histological subtype is a distinct entity with biological and oncological features differing from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Standard treatment is performed using systemic chemotherapy, and surgery in association with chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be indicated for a minor proportion of cases with limited disease. Since the results after surgical intervention in patients with very early disease are comparable to those for NSCLC, careful staging is required, especially in terms of nodal involvement- use of PET-CT EUS, EBUS and/ or mediastinoscopy is recommended. However, only two randomized control studies have examined the efficacy of surgery in SCLC, and both yielded negative results and are out of date. We review here several studies concerning surgery for SCLC and discuss the results from a practical standpoint.