Stage-I small cell lung cancer: A new potential option for stereotactic ablative radiation therapy? A review of literature

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is relative rare histology in lung cancer patients. The standard treatment, in patients with an intra-thoracic disease, is represented by the use of concurrent chemo-radiotherapy; while patients with early SCLC stage, surgical resection could be recommended. Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a recently introduced technique allowing the delivery of very high radiation doses to limited target volumes and it is considered the standard approach in the treatment of not operable stage I Non Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). The successful role option of SBRT in early NSCLC in terms of local control and toxicity profile opened the issue in the use of this approach in early stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Aim of this review is to discuss the current literature in the safety and efficacy of SBRT in the treatment of patients with stage I SCLC.