Updates in the Management of Small Cell Lung Cancer

The standard treatment for limited-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is concurrent chemoradiation, with a small subset of patients that could potentially benefit from surgery. For extensive-stage SCLC, the current standard of care is chemoimmunotherapy with a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor. The role of prophylactic cranial irradiation in SCLC is currently under debate, and is being investigated in the ongoing MAVERICK trial. Despite high initial response rates to chemoradiotherapy, relapse is common, and outcomes for these patients remain poor. However, recent advances in understanding the molecular biology of SCLC have led to the identification of potential new targets for treatment, including the combination of temozolomide with PARP inhibitors and DLL3-targeted bispecific T-cell engager therapy, both of which have shown activity in early studies.