Small cell lung cancer: analysis of treatment factors contributing to prolonged survival.

Seventy-one consecutive patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were treated in the Radiation Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute using six different radiation regimens in combination with cyclophosphamide, vincristine and doxorubicin chemotherapy. Patients treated with concurrent chemotherapy-irradiation (CT-RT) experienced better local tumor control than patients treated with sequential CT-RT. Maximum survival with minimum toxicity occurred in the group given a three-week course of concurrent CT-RT. Although concurrent therapy appeared more toxic than sequential therapy, it also appeared to result in more effective tumor control. Precise details of the timing of CT and RT represent important variables in study design of combined modality therapy for SCLC. Carefully controlled clinical trials should be undertaken to define the optimal timing and sequencing of CT-RT, as well as the optimal dose of RT.