A Case of Long-term Survival of 36 Months in the Setting of Extensive-disease Small-cell Lung Cancer

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is an extremely aggressive disease characterized by early regional spread and distant metastases. Patients with extensive-disease (ED) SCLC have a median survival rate of 8-11 months. Despite high response rates to initial therapy, relapses are frequent. Systemic therapy after the first-line failure remains vital in the treatment paradigm of SCLC. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines dictate that previously administered first-line chemotherapy can be used in relapses that occur after six months from the completion of initial therapy. For relapses within six months of initial therapy, sequential treatment with single agents is recommended. In this report, we discuss the case of a long-term SCLC survivor with an ED. The patient underwent several lines of chemotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) and survived for 36 months.