For many people diagnosed with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), the disease is already advanced by the time it is found. In fact, about 70% of patients are told they have extensive stage disease, meaning the cancer has spread beyond one lung and nearby lymph nodes.i This form of lung cancer grows quickly, and while initial treatments such as chemotherapy – sometimes combined with immunotherapy – can shrink the cancer, the benefit is often short-lived. Within months, the disease frequently returns, and more than 90% of patients experience relapse within two years.ii,iii
This difficult reality has led researchers and physicians to ask a critical question: could treatment after the first response help keep the disease controlled for longer? This approach, known as maintenance therapy, has become an area of growing interest in SCLC research.
In diseases such as non-small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer, maintenance therapy is now a well-established treatment approach designed to prolong the effects of initial therapy. Given the rapid relapse rate seen in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC), ongoing research over recent years has focused on whether maintenance approaches could help sustain disease control.
Real world evidence shows that only about 40% of ES-SCLC patients ever go on to receive a second line of therapy, often because their disease progresses before they are well enough to tolerate more treatment.iv,v This means the time immediately after first line therapy, when patients are most stable, could be an opportune moment to intervene.
Research in this area continues to advance, with new studies seeking to refine maintenance strategies and identify which patients may be most likely to benefit, as well as the optimal duration of treatment. What is clear is that maintenance therapy has prompted a shift in how the oncology community views treatment for ES-SCLC, transforming a once passive period between initial therapy and relapse into an active area of scientific exploration.
With continued investigation and collaboration, this phase of care may help inform future approaches aimed at improving patient outcomes. We are continuing to push the boundaries in cancers where the need is greatest. To read more about how our focus on high unmet need cancers is translating into meaningful clinical progress, follow the link here.
iOncoDaily, Small Cell Lung Cancer: Symptoms, Causes, Types, Diagnosis and Treatment, https://oncodaily.com/oncolibrary/cancer-types/small-cell-lung-cancer
iiSaida Y, Watanabe S, Kikuchi T. Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Current Landscape and Future Prospects. Onco Targets Ther. 2023 Aug 2;16:657-671. doi: 10.2147/OTT.S272552. PMID: 37551311; PMCID: PMC10404428.
iiiAPPOS. Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Hope Is on the Horizon. https://apponcologysummit.org/extensive-stage-small-cell-lung-cancer-hope-is-on-the-horizon/#:~:text=Staging%20for%20SCLC%20is%20typically,will%20develop%20brain%20metastases%20later. Accessed May 14, 2025.
ivCramer‐van der Welle, C. M., Schramel, F. M., et al. Real‐world treatment patterns and outcomes of patients with extensive disease small cell lung cancer. European journal of cancer care. 2020; 29(5), e13250.
vSHS claims data ending September 2024; Tx Onc data ending October 2024; Onmark Unity Data ending October 2024; IntrinsiQ ION data ending October 2024.
