Small Cell Lung Cancer: New Approaches to Personalised Treatment

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a particularly aggressive tumour, which has so far been treated with standardised measures. A study led by MedUni Vienna has shown for the first time that different SCLC subtypes have specific molecular characteristics, which is why those affected respond in different ways to cancer treatment. This discovery, published in the Clinical and Translational Medicine journal, has opened up new options for the development of more personalised treatment for this cancer, which is characterised by an unusually high rate of mortality. Earlier this year, a study by an international team of scientists led by MedUni Vienna indicated that small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is not a homogeneous type of cancer but is rather characterised by four subtypes that respond differently to treatment measures. The researchers from Austria, Hungary, Brazil, Sweden and the Netherlands are highlighting that a single treatment method for SCLC is not effective with their current follow-up project. Rather, the results of their comprehensive analyses provide the basis for new treatment approaches that can be tailored to the specific molecular characteristics of the respective subtypes. Specific Proteins for Targeted Treatment - In order to generate these results, the scientists analysed the entire protein composition (proteome landscape) of human SCLC cell lines.