Chemotherapy is most often used with SCLC because of the rapid spread of cancer cells and because of the responsiveness of the tumor. Chemotherapy is used for both limited and extensive-stage SCLC. Radiation therapy may be used in addition to chemotherapy to help destroy or shrink tumor cells in the tumor and  lymph nodes. Surgery is rarely used to treat this type of cancer. It may be helpful if the cancer is found in only one lung and has not spread farther than the nearby lymph nodes. It is usually followed by chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

Other treatments for SCLC include:

• Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI). A preventative treatment with radiation therapy used to reduce the chance of tumors growing in the brain. Small cell lung cancer often spreads to the brain.
  
  
• Comfort (palliative) care. Patients have the option of receiving treatment for their symptoms without treating the cancer.
  
  
• Clinical trials. A physician may recommend participation in a clinical trial that will test experimental treatments. Patients with small cell lung cancer are often recommended for clinical trials because of the aggressive growth of SCLC and the limitations of standard treatments. Clinical trials are conducted for all stages of small cell lung cancer. Currently, there is significant interest in experimental therapies such as biological therapy, gene therapy and angiogenesis inhibitors.

Treatment depends on the type and stage of SCLC as well as other factors, such as the age and general health of the patient. Regardless of the treatment, all lung cancer patients should quit smoking. Studies have shown that patients who continue to smoke after they have been diagnosed with lung cancer have poorer outcomes than those who stop smoking.