Dr. Bazhenova on the Challenges of Second-Line Therapy in SCLC

Lyudmila A. Bazhenova, MD, medical oncologist, professor of medicine, Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego Health, discusses the challenges of second-line therapy in small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Most patients with SCLC have a lower performance status because they typically have multiple comorbidities, Bazhenova says. Due to lower performance status, some patients will not be fit enough to undergo second-line therapy, Bazhenova explains. 

The emergence of more viable treatment options in the first-line setting could improve the number of patients capable of receiving second-line treatment, Bazhenova continues. By developing more efficacious and tolerable first-line treatments, patients will be more fit when they experience disease progression, Bazhenova concludes.