The present guidelines on the management of extensive disease small cell lung cancer (SCLC) were formulated by the European Lung Cancer Working Party (ELCWP) in October 2007. They are designed to answer the following nine questions : 1) What is the definition of extensive disease? 2) What are the active drugs? 3) What is the best induction regimen? 4) Is there a role for maintenance chemotherapy? 5) Is there a role for dose-intensive chemotherapy? 6) Is there a role for the use of haematopoietic growth factors and stem cells support? 7) Is there a role for alternating or sequential chemotherapy? 8) Is there a role for biological treatments? 9) Is there a place for second-line chemotherapy ?