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Combined modality therapy for limited-disease small cell lung cancer

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Opinion statement

Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) is highly sensitive to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, despite initial responses, relapses are common and most patients eventually succumb to this disease. Patients with limited-disease SCLC represent approximately 30% of all patients with SCLC, and are potentially curable when treated with combined chemotherapy and thoracic radiotherapy (TRT). Chemotherapy consists of four cycles of the combination of cisplatin and etoposide (PE). Thoracic radiotherapy should be started with the first or second cycle of chemotherapy, and preferably administered twice daily for 3 weeks. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is recommended for patients who achieve a complete response. Surgery is of limited value in SCLC, except in patients who present with a solitary pulmonary nodule. Approximately 20% to 25% of patients with limited disease (LD)-SCLC can be cured with this aggressive approach. Newer treatment modalities are currently under investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Center, 4306 Alton Road Miami Beach, 33140, FL, USA

    Rogerio Lilenbaum MD

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  1. Luis Raez MD
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  2. Michael Samuels MD
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  3. Rogerio Lilenbaum MD
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Raez, L., Samuels, M. & Lilenbaum, R. Combined modality therapy for limited-disease small cell lung cancer. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 6, 69–74 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-005-0014-1

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