Treatment of Limited Small Cell Lung Cancer
Patients with limited small cell lung cancer have cancer that is confined to a single location in the chest. Cancer is not detectable outside the lung. Patients with this type of cancer are potentially curable.
A variety of factors ultimately influence a patient's decision to receive treatment of cancer. The purpose of receiving cancer treatment may be to improve symptoms through local control of the cancer, increase a patient's chance of cure, or prolong a patient's survival. The potential benefits of receiving cancer treatment must be carefully balanced with the potential risks of receiving cancer treatment.
The following is a general overview of the treatment of limited small cell lung cancer. Circumstances unique to your situation and prognostic factors of your cancer may ultimately influence how these general treatment principles are applied. The information on this website is intended to help educate you about your treatment options and to facilitate a mutual or shared decision-making process with your treating cancer physician.
Most new treatments are developed in clinical trials. Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new drugs or treatment strategies. The development of more effective cancer treatments requires that new and innovative therapies be evaluated with cancer patients. Participation in a clinical trial may offer access to better treatments and advance the existing knowledge about treatment of this cancer. Clinical trials are available for most stages of cancer. Patients who are interested in participating in a clinical trial should discuss the risks and benefits of clinical trials with their physician. To ensure that you are receiving the optimal treatment of your cancer, it is important to stay informed and follow the cancer news in order to learn about new treatments and the results of clinical trials.
Small cell lung cancer cells are very responsive to chemotherapy. By the mid to late 1980s, combination chemotherapy treatment with etoposide and Platinol® (cisplatin), often in combination with radiation therapy, appeared to completely eradicate the cancer in 40 to 60 percent of patients. However, the cancer typically recurred in most patients, but the average patient's survival improved.
Research is in progress to refine existing treatments and develop new ones. For information on some of the techniques currently under investigation, see Strategies to Improve Treatment.
This content was last reviewed
August 15, 2010 by Dr. Reshma L. Mahtani.