Combination chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy in small cell lung cancer: an analysis of a 5-year follow-up

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) grows rapidly and has a high propensity for spreading quickly and widely. Although SCLC is sensitive to both radiation and chemotherapy, most patients suffer relapses within a year or two, probably due to the emergence of subpopulations of cancer cells resistant to chemotherapy. Since some anecdotal evidence suggested that doxorubicin played a role in the health of the few patients who survived SCLC more than five years, a retrospective study was completed of 159 patients with SCLC. Ten patients survived for five years or more; this indicates a five-year survival rate of 6.3 percent, and a cure rate comparable to other published reports. The nine patients who could be evaluated had a complete response to initial chemotherapy. Statistical analysis of the data did not reveal a significant role for radiotherapy. In the patients studied, age and sex did not appreciably affect survival. These results are not in agreement with some other published data. Chemotherapeutic regimens containing doxorubicin were, however, significantly correlated with improved chances of survival. These results indicate that doxorubicin is an indispensable part of combination anticancer therapy for small cell lung cancer. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)