This protocol covers patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) at limited stage, presenting at clinical stage I–IIA (T1–2, N0, M0), who are medically inoperable or for whom a decision has been made not to proceed with surgical resection.
Selected patients with stage I–IIA SCLC (T1–2, N0, M0) who cannot undergo surgery — or where resection has otherwise not been pursued — are candidates for an alternative local treatment pathway. Both medical inoperability and the clinician-patient decision to forgo surgery are recognized indications for this approach.
Management in this setting centers on a focused radiotherapy strategy targeting the primary tumor, which may be combined with or followed by systemic therapy. A concurrent approach — systemic therapy delivered alongside radiation — is an alternative. Timing and sequencing considerations may influence which approach is initiated first. The complete protocol details the full regimen options, criteria, and algorithm.
The primary clinical aim, assessed by imaging after completion of therapy, is:
Complete or partial response of disease on imaging