On March 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a combination of the immunotherapy atezolizumab (Tecentriq) along with standard chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide) for patients who are starting treatment for extensive stage small cell lung cancer. This is the first immunotherapy approved up front, as a first treatment, for small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The approval was based on the IMPower133 clinical trial which showed that more patients survived longer when taking the combination than standard chemotherapy.

Learn more about immunotherapy treatments for lung cancer.