Practical Pearls for Community Oncologists Treating ROS1-Positive NSCLC

Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, tells community oncologists to build in access to second opinions, often by telemedicine, and says he would rather be slow and right than fast and wrong, because a less effective first choice drives resistance that later agents cannot fully recover. Dietrich suggests two visits before committing, to understand a patient's activity level and priorities, and refers patients to disease-specific support groups. Wade Iams, MD, warns that guideline listings and vendor reports order agents alphabetically rather than by efficacy, so the first name on the page should not decide treatment, and neither should familiarity with an older drug. Ticiana Leal, MD, adds that artificial intelligence tools depend on when their data were pulled, which matters as follow-up matures.