[Small-cell lung cancer: chemotherapy strategy]

Small-cell lung cancer, a malignant disease with an anatomological and clinical presentation quite different from other solid tumors, is highly sensitive to current polychemotherapy regimens. Definitive cure can be achieved in about 10% of the apparently localized forms and in under 5% of the disseminated forms with usual chemotherapy protocols. Definitive cure requires a rigorous strategy which should be carried out by well-trained teams in centers conducting clinical research since several points concerning the most adapted chemotherapy protocol remain to be determined. Several new drugs are proposed to investigators every year including both drugs with direct cytotoxicity as well as adjuvant treatments for chemotherapy.