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Radiation Therapy
Source: Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: May 14, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.
Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary.
Context: Treatment Option Overview for SCLC
SCLC is highly radiosensitive and thoracic radiation therapy improves survival of patients with LD and ED tumors.[13-16][Level of evidence A1] Prophylactic cranial irradiation prevents central nervous system recurrence and may improve the long-term survival of patients with good performance status who have responded to chemoradiation therapy.[17-19][Level of evidence A1] This type of irradiation also offers palliation of symptomatic metastatic disease.
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Treatment options for patients with LD, ED, or recurrent SCLC are summarized in Table 1.
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| Stage | Treatment Options |
|---|---|
| ED = extensive-stage disease; LD = limited-stage disease. | |
| LD | Chemotherapy and radiation therapy |
| Adjuvant treatment after chemoradiation therapy | |
| Combination chemotherapy alone | |
| Surgery followed by chemotherapy or chemoradiation therapy | |
| Prophylactic cranial irradiation | |
| Clinical trials evaluating new drug regimens, surgical resection of the primary tumor, or new radiation therapy schedules and techniques (e.g., timing, three-dimensional treatment planning, and dose fractionation) | |
| ED | Immune checkpoint modulation and combination chemotherapy |
| Combination chemotherapy | |
| Radiation therapy | |
| Clinical trials evaluating new drug regimens or alternative drug doses and schedules | |
| Recurrent disease | Chemotherapy |
| Immunotherapy | |
| Immune checkpoint modulation | |
| Palliative therapy | |
| Phase I and II clinical trials evaluating new drugs | |
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- LD
- Chemotherapy and radiation therapy
- Adjuvant treatment after chemoradiation therapy
- Combination chemotherapy alone
- Surgery followed by chemotherapy or chemoradiation therapy
- Prophylactic cranial irradiation
- ED
- Immune checkpoint modulation and combination chemotherapy
- Combination chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Immune checkpoint modulation
- Palliative therapy
Despite treatment advances, most patients with SCLC die of their tumor even with the best available therapy. Most of the improvements in survival of patients with SCLC are attributable to clinical trials that have attempted to improve on the best available and most accepted therapy. Patient entry into such studies is highly desirable.
Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
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Preserved source evidence · Not medical advice