Biomarker-Driven Lung Cancer

For patients with non–small cell lung cancer, having a body mass index ≥30 at baseline could be independently associated with an improvement in overall survival with atezolizumab and could be considered a stratification factor in immune checkpoint inhibitor trials, according to a study published in JAMA Oncology.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Steven H. Kirtland, MD, FCCP, discussed the different factors that play a role in the decline of lung cancer mortality over the last few years. He highlighted how these advancements will continue to impact the survival of patients with lung cancer and his thoughts on the evolving landscape.

Integrating a geriatric assessment into the care of older adults who are receiving cancer treatment in communi­ty oncology practices improves patient and caregiver satisfaction and encourages commu­nication about aging-related concerns, accord­ing to results of a clinical trial that enrolled 541 patients with advanced cancer.

Robert C. Doebele, MD, PhD, shares his thoughts on what the next steps are for entrectinib in patients with&nbsp;<em>ROS1</em>-positive non&ndash;small cell lung cancer. In August of 2019, the FDA granted approval to this agent as treatment of patients with metastatic NSCLC who are&nbsp;<em>ROS1</em>-positive.

Kevin M. Sullivan, MD, discusses the current treatment options for patients with lung cancer harboring an&nbsp;<em>ALK</em>&nbsp;mutation.

Alterations of the NRG1 gene that are present at low rates in certain solid tumors have emerged as potentially actionable oncogenic drivers, with targeted therapies making their way to early clinical studies and into some basket trials.

The FDA has granted priority review to the Biologics License Application for nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab for the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer with no EGFR or ALK genomic tumor aberrations, according to a press release from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.<br /> &nbsp;

To support the commercialization of the blood-based companion diagnostic test Guardant360 companion diagnostic for AMG 510, Guardant Health, Inc, will collaborate with Amgen, developer of AMG 510, and pursue an FDA Pre-Market Approval as a companion diagnostic for AMG 510 in patients with metastatic non&ndash;small cell lung cancer with a&nbsp;KRAS&nbsp;G12C mutation, according to a press release.

The present and future benefits of telehealth in oncology can be observed through Tahoe For&shy;est Cancer Center and its affiliation with the UC Davis Cancer Center, use of other remote clinics, and participation in virtual tumor boards. Even though there are roadblocks to telehealth reaching more locations and more patients, the potential benefit warrants the time needed to get over those hurdles.

Pralsetinib&nbsp; a highly-selected RET inhibitor, achieved a favorable overall response rate with prolonged durability in patients with RET fusion&ndash;positive non&ndash;small cell lung cancer who were previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy, according to top-line results from the phase I/II ARROW trial, announced the Blueprint Medicines Corporation in a press release.

The combination of pembrolizumab and chemotherapy improved progression-free survival in patients with small cell lung cancer compared with chemotherapy alone, meeting 1 of the primary end points of the phase III KEYNOTE-604 study, according to a press release from pembrolizumab developer, Merck. Compared with a chemotherapy regimen of either etoposide plus cisplatin or cisplatin alone, the progression-free survival mprovement with pembrolizumab was significant.

The FDA granted approval to countless treatments across cancer types throughout 2019 until the end of the year, with a final approval on December 31^st&nbsp;for the first BRCA targeted therapy in pancreatic cancer. Following the excitement for a new year of further advances,&nbsp;Targeted Oncology&nbsp;followers on Twitter shared their thoughts on some of the most impactful FDA approvals in 2019.

Justin F. Gainor, MD, discusses the latest advancements with immune checkpoint inhibitors for the treatment of patients with non&mdash;small cell lung cancer.

In December 2019, the FDA approved a number of new treatments in lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, urothelial carcinoma, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. A&nbsp;tissue complete assay was also approved by the FDA for use in a clinical trial evaluating pembrolizumab.

Osimertinib demonstrated a manageable toxicity profile and encouraging activity in patients with non&ndash;small cell lung cancer who harbor an uncommon EGFR mutation, according to results from a phase II clinical trial conducted in Korea.

Selpercatinib will be compared with the standard of care in the first ever phase III clinical trial in patients with advanced or metastatic treatment-na&iuml;ve&nbsp;<em>RET</em>&nbsp;fusion-positive non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, according to a press release from Eli Lilly and Company.

A new drug application has been filed for accelerated approval with the FDA for lurbinectedin in patients with small cell lung cancer who have progressed after prior platinum-containing therapy, according to the manufacturer, PharmaMar.1 The filing was based on results from a phase II basket trial, presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Pembrolizumab showed improvements in overall survival, progression-free survival, and objective response rate compared with pemetrexed or paclitaxel chemotherapy in patients with metastatic nonsquamous non&ndash;small cell lung cancer whose tumors are PD-L1&ndash;positive, regardless of their&nbsp;KRAS&nbsp;mutational status.

In a&nbsp;Targeted Oncology&nbsp;case-based peer perspectives live discussion, Nathan A. Pennell, MD, PhD, associate professor of the Department of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University and a medical oncologist at Taussig Cancer Center and the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center discussed treatment options for EGFR-mutant non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, based on the case of a real patient.<br /> &nbsp;

Cancer has historically been divided between localized and metastatic disease. The underlying principle, derived from the Halsted theory of cancer progression, is that once cancer has spread to other sites, it is a systemic disease. Heroic efforts to remove or ablate all evidence of visible cancer thus would expose patients to toxicity without a chance for benefit.

The FDA granted an Investigational Device Exemption approval to the Personal Genome Diagnostics Inc. elio^TM&nbsp;tissue complete assay for use in a Merck trial evaluating pembrolizumab combinations in non&ndash;small cell lung cancer, according to a press release from PGDx, developer of the assay.