Radiotherapy Plus Chemoimmunotherapy Enhances Frontline ES-SCLC Outcomes
Combining anti-angiogenic therapy with chemoimmunotherapy is increasingly considered for real-world treatment of extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). A recent real-world study presented at the 2025 American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting showed that adding radiotherapy to first-line chemoimmunotherapy at diagnosis can improve patient prognosis.
Study Details
Jun Wang, MD, PhD, from the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University and Hebei Clinical Research Center for Radiation Oncology, led the study. He emphasized that chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy remains the frontline standard for ES-SCLC patients.
“Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has led to significant improvement in overall survival [OS] for [extensive-stage] SCLC, the survival benefit remains limited, underscoring the urgent need to explore novel combination treatment strategies.”
Key Findings
- The median follow-up was 29.9 months.
- The median overall survival (OS) for the entire patient group was 16.6 months.
- One-year and two-year OS rates were 65.2% and 33.3%, respectively.
- Univariate analysis identified baseline liver metastasis status and combination with radiotherapy as factors associated with OS.
Implications for Treatment
The study supports incorporating radiotherapy into initial chemoimmunotherapy regimens to potentially extend survival in ES-SCLC patients, addressing the still limited benefits of current treatments.
Author’s summary: Adding radiotherapy to first-line chemoimmunotherapy shows promise in improving survival outcomes for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, highlighting the need for novel combination strategies.