Impact of Radiotherapy in Small Cell Carcinoma of Lung

BACKGROUND: Small cell carcinoma of lung has a drastically different and an aggressive natural history with its rapid growth and early systemic spread. Despite its chemo-sensitivity, it has an exquisite tendency for local recurrence. There is irrefutable evidence that addition of radiotherapy can achieve excellent local control within its treatment portals. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of radiotherapy in small cell carcinoma of lung. METHODS: 55 cases of small cell carcinoma of lung were treated in the Department of Radiotherapy from Jan, 1996 to Dec, 2000. Four subsets of patients were analysed with all medical records and follow-up. Group-I included cases who had not received any specific treatment. Group-II had received chemotherapy alone. Group-III had received chemoradiotherapy and Group-IV had undergone surgery followed by chemo-radiotherapy. RESULTS: Overall survival at 1, 2 and 3 year follow-up was 15.3%, 13.2% and 7.8% in cases who had received radiation in addition to chemotherapy. There were 2 cases (3.7%) in Group-IV who had 5 year survival. CONCLUSION: Addition of radiotherapy to chemotherapy protocols has an important role in improving the survival in this type of lung cancer.(JMS 2010;13(2):60-63)