Treatment overview for small cell lung cancer

Your doctors will plan your treatment by taking into account a number of things, including your general health, the size and position of the tumour, and whether it has spread beyond the lung.

Chemotherapy | is the main treatment for people with small cell lung cancer.

In many people, chemotherapy will enable them to live for longer, with better control of symptoms. Chemotherapy may be given on its own, or before radiotherapy| . Sometimes chemotherapy and radiotherapy are given at the same time; this is known as chemoradiation.   

Surgery | is not usually used to treat people with small cell lung cancer, except if the cancer is found very early. This is because the cancer has usually spread to other parts of the body before being diagnosed, even if it can’t be seen on a scan.

If an operation is possible, chemotherapy or radiotherapy may be given after surgery to help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. Giving treatment in this way is known as adjuvant treatment.

The scans and tests you had to diagnose the cancer may be repeated later, to see how well you are responding to treatment.

Radiotherapy is sometimes given to the head (known as prophylactic cranial radiotherapy) to reduce the risk of the cancer spreading to the brain. This may be done for people with small cell lung cancer, if chemotherapy has worked very well or if they have had surgery to remove the tumour.

Radiotherapy may also be used effectively in people with advanced small cell lung cancer, to relieve symptoms such as pain.

If you have any questions about your treatment, don’t be afraid to ask your doctor or the nurse looking after you. It often helps to make a list of questions, and to take a friend or relative with you.