Targeted therapy for small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is very aggressive clinically, and current cytotoxic therapy has only a limited impact on survival. The development of targeted therapy for SCLC has lagged behind that of non-small cell lung cancer. Current drugs under investigation include those targeting the angiogenetic, apoptotic, sonic hedgehog, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathways. Vaccines seem to be promising adjunctive therapies. This review will present the available data on these agents. Common genetic abnormalities seen in SCLC, which could serve as potential future targets are also discussed.