Biomarker-Driven Lung Cancer

Alice T. Shaw, MD, PhD, discusses using crizotinib to treat patients with ALK-positive lung cancer.

MPDL3280A produced durable responses in studies in patients with forms of locally advanced/metastatic cancers, including smokers with NSCLC who customarily have poorer responses to cancer therapies than nonsmokers.

Naiyer A. Rizvi, MD, an associate attending physician, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses PD-1 and PD-L1 antibodies in development for the treatment of lung cancer.

PD-L1 expression in tumors is a candidate molecular marker warranting further investigation as a means to select patients for immunotherapy with an anti PD-1 antibody

Julie R. Brahmer, MD, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the outlook for immunotherapies in cancer care.

Bilal Piperdi, MD, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Department of Medicine (Oncology), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, comments on molecular targeted agents for stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

WCLC is the largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. This year’s theme was “Next-Generation Lung Cancer Care,” and highlights from some key data presented are provided here.

Mark G. Kris, MD, William and Joy Ruane Chair in Thoracic Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, gives an overview of current guidelines for molecular testing in lung cancer.

Chandra P. Belani, MD, from the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, discusses the treatment of subgroups of patients with lung cancer.

The addition of bevacizumab, erlotinib, afatinib, and crizotinib to the treatment arsenal for NSCLC has been a major advance in the treatment of this disease. However, there is a large imbalance within tumor types.

Activating EGFR mutations are associated with response to TKIs. Afatinib (Gilotrif) is an oral, irreversible ErbB family TKI that targets EGFR, HER2, and ErbB4. Afatinib is being formally evaluated in the LUX-Lung clinical trial program for NSCLC.

Tony S.K. Mok, BMSc, MD, FRCPC, professor, Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital Hong Kong, China, discusses the utility of afatinib in patients with lung cancer.

Corey J. Langer, MD, discusses the treatment of patients with early stage lung cancer.

The PD-1 blocking antibody nivolumab continues to demonstrate clinical activity in previously treated patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to updated long-term survival data from a phase I trial.

Laurie Gaspar, MD, discusses reducing neurotoxicity in small cell lung cancer patients.

Paul A. Bunn, Jr, MD, explains how patients with advanced-stage lung cancer benefit from tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs)

Silvia Novello, MD, PhD, discusses the use of chemotherapy in lung cancer.

Giorgio V. Scagliotti, MD, PhD, discusses toxicities related to chemotherapy and surgery in patients with lung cancer.

David P. Carbone, MD, PhD, describes variations in the accuracy and availability of genetic testing technologies for patients with lung cancer.

Laurie Gaspar, MD, Professor and Chair Department of Radiation Oncology, Grohne Chair in Clinical Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, discusses the risk of pneumonitis from radiation among patients with lung cancer.

Tony S.K. Mok, BMSc, MD, FRCPC, professor, Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital Hong Kong, China, discusses different plasma testing approaches for patients with lung cancer.

Harvey I. Pass, MD, discusses some of the challenges of treating patients with mesothelioma

MK-3475, an investigational immunotherapy, has demonstrated an objective response rate (ORR) of up to 24% in patients with previously treated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to interim results from a phase Ib expansion study.

Heather Wakelee, MD, discusses the results of the AVAPERL trial.

Individualized treatment protocols for patients are becoming increasingly important in the management of NSCLC. Consequently, drug research continues to focus on regimens that select therapy according to the molecular characteristics of the tumor.