Bombesin-drug conjugates in targeted therapy for small cell lung cancer.

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a aggressive form of primary lung neoplasm that often presents in elderly smokers. While stage I SCLC can be managed with surgery, extensive-stage disease is managed with chemotherapy using etoposide and cisplatin among other agents, and often complemented by radiation therapy to the chest and cranium. Recent advances in pharmacological research have yielded novel antibody and peptide-conjugated adjunctive chemotherapy, of which bombesin and bombesin receptors have played an important role due to their overexpression in SCLC and other lung cancers.