Recurrent small cell lung cancer is cancer that has recurred (come back) after it has been treated. The cancer may come back in the chest, central nervous system, or in other parts of the body.
Treatment Options for Recurrent Small Cell Lung Cancer
Treatment of recurrent small cell lung cancer may include the following:
- Radiation therapy as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
- Chemotherapy as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
- Laser therapy, surgical placement of devices to keep the airways open, and/or internal radiation therapy, as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
- Clinical trials of chemotherapy.
This summary refers to specific treatments under study in clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.
Check for clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer.
1 Note: The text and images above are in the public domain and were reproduced or adapted from the websites of the National Cancer Institute (NCI): http://www.cancer.gov/ and http://visualsonline.cancer.gov/.