Current role of oral etoposide in the management of small cell lung cancer

Etoposide is part of first-line chemotherapy for patients with small cell l ung cancer (SCLC) and is one of the few cytotoxic drugs available in an ora l formulation. There have been 3 major avenues of investigation of the role of oral etoposide in SCLC: the optimal schedule of administration, its pot ential as single agent therapy, and its incorporation into combination chem otherapy. Current evidence suggests that, in SCLC, the optimal schedule of administration is over 3 to 5 days. Its use as a single agent for palliatio n cannot be supported, but it has a continued use within combination chemot herapy for most patients. In addition, it is likely to be incorporated into regimens with new agents that may offer significant advantages over curren t combinations.