Patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) have historically received chemotherapy, typically with poor survival outcomes. In the past few years, the combination of immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) with chemotherapy has provided a more effective alternative to chemotherapy alone. Nonetheless, durations of survival are often short, and no robust biomarkers of response are available. In this Review, the authors provide a summary of the efficacy and safety of ICIs in patients with SCLC, and also highlight potential novel immunotherapeutic approaches that are currently in the early stages of investigation.
- Wade T. Iams
- Jason Porter
- Leora Horn