Outcomes of Inpatient Chemotherapy for Patients with Newly Diagnosed Extensive-Stage Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Background: Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of lung cancers, with 70% diagnosed at extensive-stage (ES). Systemic therapy is often considered in very unwell patients, although outcomes for inpatients with ES-SCLC are not well understood. Methods: We reviewed patients with de novo ES-SCLC who had an inpatient medical oncology consultation at the Ottawa Hospital between 2013 and 2021. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Secondary endpoints included length of stay (LOS) and tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) incidence. Results: There were 127 patients identified. Median age was 68 years (range 50–87), 58% female, 99% had prior smoking history, 22% had brain metastases, and 64% had liver metastases. Ninety-two (72%) received chemotherapy. Median OS for treated patients was 5.9 months (95% CI, 4.5–7.3 m), and a median LOS of 13 days. Patients in the non-treatment cohort had a median OS of 14 days (95% CI, 0.2–0.7 m), a median LOS of 11 days, and 54% in-hospital death rate. TLS occurred in six of the 76 (8%) evaluated patients, all dying within 7 days of chemotherapy. Conclusions: Chemotherapy was associated with longer survival among inpatients with ES-SCLC. TLS was rare but uniformly fatal, highlighting the need for aggressive prophylaxis among patients with identified risk factors.