Phase III Comparison of Thoraric Radiotherapy Regimens in Patients with Limited Small Cell Lung Cancer also Receiving Cisplatin or Carboplatin and Etoposide

The purpose of this study is to compare the effects, good and/or bad, of two different ways to give radiation therapy. One of the ways is experimental, while one of them is standard. The experimental way of giving the radiation therapy is once a day with a high dose of radiation for 7 weeks. The standard way of giving the radiation therapy is to give it twice a day for 3 weeks. Everyone will get chemotherapy with either cisplatin or carboplatin and etoposide, which has been established through clinical trials to be standard drugs (chemotherapy) for your type of cancer. The exact doses of the chemotherapy have not been completely standardized and you will be receiving a commonly used dosing schedule. It is not known what the added side effects are using this dose of chemotherapy with either of the radiotherapy regimens.