Advancing Treatment Strategies in Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer: Enhancing Pharmacist Competence in Therapy Selection, Administration, and Adverse Event Management

Program Description

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for 15% of all lung cancer cases, and those with extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) have a median survival rate of less than 1 year. Early and accurate diagnosis and the timely initiation of therapeutic strategies are critical for optimized survival outcomes. Still, many patients experience treatment resistance and rapid disease progression. While historically challenging to treat with limited treatment options after relapse, recent advancements in systemic therapies, particularly the integration of immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy, have significantly improved patient outcomes. The program will balance a discussion on current guideline-directed frontline and maintenance treatments, including the challenges encountered in these regimens, with appropriate second-line treatment strategies for relapsed or refractory disease, providing clinical evidence to support treatment selection based on patient-specific factors. Pharmacist-led contributions within the multidisciplinary care team, including reviewing premedication requirements and dose adjustments, identifying and managing common and serious toxicities, and understanding administration considerations in outpatient settings, will also be discussed and applied to a clinical case discussion.
Target audience: Oncology pharmacists

Type of activity: Application
Release date: November 21, 2025
Expiration date: November 21, 2026
Time to complete activity: 1.0 hours
Learner level: Advanced
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify the appropriate systemic therapy options for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) based on patient-specific factors
• Examine the clinical evidence supporting the selection of novel systemic therapies for ES-SCLC
• Determine multidisciplinary care plans to ensure the safe administration and monitoring of systemic therapies for ES-SCLC

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hours (0.10 CEU) under the ACPE universal activity number 0290-0000-25-382-H01-P. The activity is available for CE credit through November 21, 2026.

Instructions for Completing the Activity and Receiving CPE Credit

To receive CPE credit, participants must complete the pretest, review the activity in its entirety, complete the posttest, and complete the online activity evaluation. After successful completion of the online activity evaluation, you can submit your credit to CPE Monitor. You may view your credit within 48 hours at www.mycpemonitor.net. All participants must request credit before the activity expiration date. CE credit will not be issued after this date.

Disclosures

Kaiwen Wang, PharmD, BCOP, has the following financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose:
Consultant: Janssen, Pfizer

The following contributors have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose:

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education^™ Planning Staff—Jim Palatine, RPh, MBA; Daphne Davis, PharmD; Katie Naspo; Susan Pordon; Brianna Winters; and Chloe Taccetta have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.
At least one anonymous peer reviewer was used as part of content validation and conflict resolution. The peer reviewer has no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Educational Disclaimer
CPE activities are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of professional advice or referral. Discussions concerning drugs, dosages, and procedures may reflect the clinical experience of the author(s) or they may be derived from the professional literature or other sources and may suggest uses that are investigational in nature and not approved labeling or indications. Participants are encouraged to refer to primary references or full prescribing information resources.

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