The Evolving Treatment Landscape in SCLC

Beth Sandy, MSN, CRNP, thoracic oncology nurse practitioner, Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, discusses the evolving treatment landscape in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). 

Single-agent immunotherapy had shown encouraging data in the second- and third-line settings. However, the emergence of chemoimmunotherapy in the frontline setting has revolutionized the treatment landscape, says Sandy.

In 2019, the FDA approved the combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq), carboplatin, and etoposide for the frontline treatment of patients with extensive-stage SCLC. Moreover, in March 2020, the FDA approved the combination of durvalumab (Imfinzi) and etoposide and either carboplatin or cisplatin in the same setting.

On June 15, 2020, the FDA grated an accelerated approval to lurbinectedin (Zepzelca) for patients with metastatic SCLC who have disease progression following platinum-based chemotherapy. Each FDA approval is a welcome addition to the armamentarium, Sandy concludes.