The role of immunotherapy in the treatment of extensive small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer remains one of the most important problems of oncology in the world, such as in Russia, due to the high incidence and low survival rate. Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of all lung malignancies and is directly correlated with tobacco smoking. Because of its aggressiveness, as well as its high potential for metastasis, SCLC almost always progresses within the first year after treatment, and the median of overall survival is a modest 7–11 months. For the last 30 years, the drug treatment regimes for SCLC have remained unchanged, also clinical studies on the effectiveness of new antitumor drugs, including targeted ones, have not been successful. At present, our arsenal of treatments for SCLC has been replenished with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) — immunotherapy. This is a new era in oncology. This review presents the results of key clinical studies that have made a significant contribution to expanding the possibility of treating. The median of overall survival rate exceeded the 1-yеar threshold for the first time, when using first-line immunotherapy in combination with chemotherapy. Another option is to use ICI in a single mode in the 3rd line, after progression on platinum-based chemotherapy.