Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a rare and aggressive form of lung cancer. Several factors make it challenging to treat with long-term success.

For one thing, screening is uncommon. The cancer is often in an advanced stage by the time it is diagnosed. Also, the cancer is fast growing. Mutation in #sclc suppresses our body’s ability to hamper uncontrolled cell growth.

SCLC is resistant to treatments and often comes back more aggressively after treatment. SCLC responds well to #chemotherapy because of the cells’ rapid growth. The response rate is as high as 70%. However, the effects are short-lived. After treatment, the cancer recurs quickly and grows faster than before.

There have been few advances in treatment or new treatments for #SmallCellLungCancer in the past, but with more attention on the disease, combined with research funding from organizations like Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA), that is changing.

Dr. Triparna Sen, of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, is using her lung cancer research grant funded by LCFA to dig deep into the biology of small cell lung cancer. In Dr. Sen's opinion, the more we understand about the biology of the disease, the more probability of success in finding treatment protocols that will help more people who are living with lung cancer prolong their lives. One message that Dr. Sen would like small cell lung cancer patients to know is that, with increased funding, such as the funding she has received from LCFA, research is making great strides.

Montessa Lee, who is living with small cell lung cancer, discusses these research advances with Dr. Triparna Sen. Montessa who was diagnosed in 2006 says, “If having cancer doesn’t change your life, something is wrong. I knew that this was going to be something bad, but I promised myself it wasn’t going to kill me. There is a difference between surviving and living. I made it my mission to live.”

Dr. Rachel Sanborn, Providence Thoracic Oncology Program, discusses the topic of lung cancer and that there is an entire spectrum of different kinds of cancers that have started inside the lungs. Small cell lung cancers behave very differently than non-small cell lung cancer.

Triparna Sen, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, discusses the current therapeutic landscape for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), including the epidemiology and mortality rates, likely causes, and current treatment options. First-line standard of care (SOC) is anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy, with second-line SOC including topotecan. This interview was conducted at the virtual European Society for Medical Oncology Targeted Anti-Cancer Therapies (ESMO TAT) Congress 2022.