Patients who had received first-line chemotherapy without disease progression were eligible. Patients received thalidomide 200 mg daily as maintenance therapy starting 3–6 weeks after completion of chemotherapy.
Thirty patients were enrolled. Toxicity was minimal with grade 1 neuropathy in 27 % of patients and only one case of grade 3 neuropathy. Median survival from time of initiation of induction chemotherapy was 12.8 months (95 % CI: 10.1–15.8 months) and 1-year survival of 51.7 % (95 % CI: 32.5–67.9 % ). Median duration on thalidomide was 79 days.
Thalidomide 200 mg daily is well tolerated when given as maintenance therapy for ES-SCLC after induction chemotherapy. Further evaluation of anti-angiogenic agents in SCLC is warranted.