Owonikoko TK, et al. - Researchers evaluated the combination of veliparib, a poly (ADP ribose) polymerase inhibitor, with cisplatin and etoposide (CE; CE+V) doublet in untreated, extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). They randomized 128 eligible patients stratified by sex and serum lactate dehydrogenase levels, to receive four 3-week cycles of CE (75 mg/m² intravenously on day 1 and 100 mg/m² on days 1 through 3) along with veliparib (100 mg orally twice per day on days 1 through 7) or placebo (CE+P). As per findings, veliparib addition to frontline chemotherapy could be efficacious in patients with ES-SCLC. Significant treatment-by-strata interaction in PFS was evident: Male patients with high lactate dehydrogenase levels showed significant benefit, but there was no evidence of benefit among patients in other strata. The CE+V arm displayed grade ≥ 3 hematology toxicities like CD4 lymphopenia and neutropenia more frequently than the CE+P arm but had comparable treatment delivery.