Advances in study on the therapy for limited-stage small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are divided into limited and extensive stage diseases. Limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC) is confined to the ipsilateral hemithorax and within a single radiotherapy region, 30%-40% of patients with SCLC are limited stage. The median ranges of survival for patients with LS-SCLC is from 15 to 20 months. Approximately 20%-40% of patients with LS-SCLC can survive for two years. According to the guidelines, patients with LS-SCLC should be treated with combined concurrent chemoradiotherapy and patients with LS-SCLC achieving a complete remission or patient with stage I disease who have had resection should be offered prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). Whereas in SCLC, targeted therapies is still in the early stage and few clinical trial data is available to support its effect.