Living Room Show Notes: Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment Landscape

Treatment options for people diagnosed or living with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are constantly improving and expanding. In fact, there are more drugs in development right now than were developed in total over the last 50 years. Investments in SCLC are finally paying off, as new therapies represent hope for people living with the disease.  

Dr. Jared Weiss from the University of North Caroline joined GO2’s March 2024 Lung Cancer Living Room to share the breadth of currently approved treatments for SCLC, the importance of palliative/supportive care while being treated for SCLC, and the exciting new therapies in the pipeline that make this a “new age” for SCLC.  

Speakers:  

• Jared Weiss, MD, Professor of Medicine, Section Chief of Thoracic and Head/Neck Oncology,  University of North Carolina 
• Danielle Hicks, Chief Patient Officer, GO2 for Lung Cancer  

Discussed in this episode:  

• GO2 for Lung Cancer offers a number of SCLC-specific educational materials to help people living with SCLC understand their diagnosis and treatment options, including our brand new SCLC patient handbook.  
• SCLC is staged differently than non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and is either limited stage or extensive stage, depending on how widely the cancer has spread.  
• Limited stage lung cancer is generally treated with chemotherapy and radiation, while a combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy is given to people with extensive stage SCLC.  
• Palliative care should be considered from the very beginning to improve quality of life and mitigate pain and side effects throughout treatment.   
• A new type of immunotherapy for SCLC called tarlatamab is showing promising results in clinical trials and will hopefully come to clinic soon.   
• GO2 for Lung Cancer’s Lung Cancer Registry has created a SCLC survey to  guide small cell lung cancer support programs and resource development. Individuals can receive a $25 Visa or Amazon gift card by completing the survey. Visit lungcancerregistry.org and click “Join the Registry.” 

Please join us on May 21 at 5:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. ET for the next Lung Cancer Living Room covering how to navigate clinical trials. Join in person at our San Carlos, CA office or watch on YouTube Live.    

For more information on the Living Room, other GO2 for Lung Cancer programs, or support through diagnosis and treatment, please contact GO2’s HelpLine at 1-800-298-2436 or email support@go2.org.