Radiation therapy for small cell lung cancer: evolution, current status, perspectives

Small-cell lung cancer is prognostically unfavorable cancer requiring aggressive treatment. In spite of good tumor response to chemotherapy, the rate of disease progression is about 100 % that provokes interest to radiation therapy. The review presents the current status of radiation therapy for locally advanced and metastatic small-cell lung cancer using data obtained from randomized trials and metaanalyses. The perspectives in radiation therapy are discussed.