Multimodality approaches in the treatment of small cell lung cancer@@@Multimodale Therapie des kleinzelligen Lungenkarzinoms

Platinum containing combinations, such as cisplatin/etoposide or carboplatin/etoposide are the mainstay of treatment for patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) because they have advantages compared to older combinations of doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide/vincristine.Research of the literature and analysis of clinical trials.Optimal duration of treatment is 4-6 cycles of chemotherapy. There is no further benefit by alternating regimens, increasing the number of drugs or escalating the dosages. Up to now, studies incorporating targeted therapy with various agents were not beneficial in small-cell lung cancer. Early simultaneous radiation at the LD stage, however, induced prolonged survival. Prophylactic brain irradiation is recommended for LD patients and ED patients with major remission after first-line treatment. In stage I and II surgery may improve long-term survival.