- Patients without small cell lung cancer who have had chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormonal therapy within 4 weeks (6 weeks for nitrosoureas or mitomycin C) prior to entering the study or those who have not recovered (=< grade 1) from clinically significant adverse events due to agents administered more than 4 weeks earlier; prior treatment with a platinum-based chemotherapy regimen in combination with thoracic radiation therapy is allowed for patients with ES-SCLC provided that recurrence of the SCLC occurred more than 6 months from definitive therapy for limited-stage small cell lung cancer; no other prior chemotherapy is allowed for the patients with ES-SCLC