Treatment of small cell lung cancer

The prognosis for patients with small cell lung cancer has improved over the past ten years from a median survival of 2.5 months to 8 to 10 months for patients with extensive metastatic disease and 12 to 16 months for patients with limited disease. This progress has been primarily through advances in chemotherapy. A small percentage of patients are having prolonged disease-free survival. Methods of staging are reviewed. The best current chemotherapeutic programs are discussed, as well as the present role of radiation therapy in the management of small cell lung cancer.