New drugs for small-cell lung cancer

Better efficacy of chemotherapy for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) has not been convincingly demonstrated despite many investigations examining increased drug delivery and enhancement of drug diversity. Improvements in the median- and long-term survival of patients with limited SCLC have been shown, but this change is more closely associated with better integration of chemoradiation than with more effective chemotherapy or radiotherapy components. Recently, a number of new active drugs have been identified for treating patients with SCLC. These drugs include the taxanes, the camptothecins, and gemcitabine. Determining the role of each new agent will require carefully designed and conducted trials like those now in progress.