The role of surgery in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is controversial. Surgery has several potential advantages because it may reduce the frequency of local relapses, it does not impede the intensity of chemotherapy, it does not affect the bone marrow, and surgical staging may be of prognostic significance. Several smaller retrospective studies which focus on surgery alone, surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or chemotherapy followed by adjuvant surgery have been reported. Five-year survival data have ranged from 10-50% according to stage, both T-status and nodal status appearing to be significant prognostic factors. Only one prospective randomized trial has been reported concerning the addition of surgery to chemotherapy alone. This trial does not favour surgery. The reason for this could be a selection bias in the smaller non-randomized studies or a result of stage migration. Nevertheless, surgery may yet play an important role in SCLC, especially in diagnosis and staging, and with new improved non-invasive staging procedures, such as positron emission tomography, resection may lead to cure in selected patients. Prospective randomized studies are needed to settle this issue.