Prognostic factors in patients with small-cell carcinoma of the lung.

Fifty-two patients with histologically confirmed small-cell carcinoma of the lung, 15 with disease localized to one hemithorax and 37 with extensive metastases, were studied. Only patients whose general condition was considered good enough to tolerate intensive combination chemotherapy were included in this study. The median survival time of these patients was 33 weeks (range 7-192 weeks) with a mean survival time of 43 weeks. Patients who responded with objective tumour improvement within 6 weeks had a median survival time of 39 weeks. Those showing disease stabilization at 6 weeks had a median survival time of 35 weeks while those having disease progression at this time had a median survival of 22 weeks. Patients without liver involvement and a normal serum albumin level at the start of treatment had statistically superior survival times.