Patients with small-cell lung cancer who survive cancer-free for more than 2 years have a significantly increased risk for development of a second primary smoking-related cancer. Cigarette smoking cessation after successful therapy is associated with a decrease in risk for a second smoking-related primary cancer.

No therapeutic benefits resulted from increasing planned doses by 67% for the first two cycles of EP in patients with extensive-stage SCLC. Higher doses were associated with substantially worse toxicities.

A regimen of combined chemotherapy and chest radiation therapy given concurrently is superior to chemotherapy given alone in inducing remission and prolonging survival in patients with limited stage small cell lung cancer, and the benefit of combined therapy is reduced by its greater toxicity.

This combined modality regimen for patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer results in a 2-year survival rate of 43%, but the principal cause of death in these patients is still relapse of the original cancer. Isolated CNS metastases caused more than 30% of the cancer deaths.

No abstract