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Treatment Options for Small Cell Lung Cancer
The Role of Surgery in Small Cell Lung Cancer
Surgery does not play a major role in the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) because approximately 70% of patients with SCLC already have extensive-stage disease at the time of diagnosis. Surgery, therefore, is not an option for the management of patients with extensive-stage disease and platinum-based chemotherapy is currently considered as the mainstay of treatment.
Surgery may be considered for a small subset of patients with very limited-stage SCLC where the size of the tumor is small (T1 or T2 tumors) and no evidence of lymph node involvement (N0 tumors). Patients who undergo surgical excision for small cell lung cancer are also treated with platinum-based chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy to the chest.
