title: Advances in pharmacotherapy of small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an aggressive malignancy characterized by early metastatic dissemination and responsiveness to initial therapy. The incidence of SCLC has been declining over the past two decades. Limited-stage SCLC is a potentially curable disease with long-term survival of ∼ 20% when treated with platinum-based chemotherapy plus concurrent thoracic radiation and prophylactic cranial irradiation. For patients with extensive-stage SCLC, survival can be increased with combination platinum-based chemotherapy, but the disease remains incurable.
  
  
  METHODS
  This review looks at the current advances in pharmacotherapy for SCLC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many chemotherapeutic strategies and newer cytotoxic agents have been evaluated in SCLC, and some had promising activity in early clinical trials. However, none have demonstrated consistent improvements in outcome over standard platinum-based treatment. Similarly, although many potential molecular targets have been identified in preclinical studies of SCLC, molecularly targeted therapy has yet to demonstrate any substantial activity in clinical trials. Nonetheless, future advances in this disease will undoubtedly depend on improvements in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive the proliferation and survival of SCLC cells.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan - Hematology/Oncology , C350 Med Inn - SPC 5848 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5848 , USA kalemker@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Gregory P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Kalemkerian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: carboplatin; chemotherapy; cisplatin; etoposide; irinotecan; molecularly targeted therapy; radiotherapy; small cell lung cancer