MLS funding to better understand small cell lung cancer and improve treatment regimes.

Small cell lung cancer is an aggressive form of lung cancer notorious for its rapid progression and poor outcome.  The average survival time from diagnosis is only 9 months.  Chemotherapy is the most commonly used method of treatment as the disease is often too advanced at time of presentation for surgery to be a viable option.  There have not been any significant advances in the treatment available for small cell lung cancer in over 30 years.  This is likely to be due to the fact that these tumours are still poorly understood and the mechanism by which they form and progress remain unclear.  Dr Michael Thomas at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has been awarded a Medical and Life Sciences Research Fund award to support his research.  Better understanding of the disease process and through this, the development of new methods of treatment could help improve the management and outcome for patients with small cell lung cancer.