Biomarker-Driven Lung Cancer

In an interview with Targeted Oncology, Edward Kim, MD, discussed the FDA-approved immunotherapies nivolumab and pembrolizumab along with potential combinations, biomarkers, and ongoing research.

Christina Baik, MD, MPH, assistant professor, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Thoracic/Head and Neck, Department of Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, discusses the efficacy of alectinib after first-line crizotinib in patients with ALK-positive lung cancer. Baik says alectinib generally works for about 8 months and is easy to take for patients.

The combination of the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab and the CTLA-4 inhibitor tremelimumab, showed antitumor activity in patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), irrespective of PD-L1 status, according to a recent phase Ib study published in The Lancet Oncology.

Edward Kim, MD, chair of the department of Solid Tumor Oncology, Levine Cancer Institute, discusses the further work that needs to be done when indicating patient populations with certain biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Sarah Goldberg, MD, MPH, assistant professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, discusses coming trials looking at immunotherapy beyond the second-line setting in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Molecular Diagnostics in NSCLC with David Berz, MD, PhD, and Philip Bonomi, MD

Crizotinib (Xalkori) has been approved by the FDA for patients with ROS1-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), based on substantial efficacy displayed in a phase I study.

Tremelimumab as a monotherapy in both the second- and third-line treatment failed to boost overall survival (OS) compared with placebo for patients with unresectable malignant mesothelioma.

Sharpe, whose lab aided in the discover of the pathway, says blocking the pathway in order to treat cancers is important because it allows T cells to work better.

Everolimus (Afinitor) has received FDA approval for adult patients with progressive, well-differentiated non-functional, locally advanced or metastatic gastrointestinal (GI) or lung neuroendocrine tumors (NET), based on findings from the phase III RADIANT-4 trial.

In the study, the bavituximab combination showed OS data similar to expectations while patients in the docetaxel-alone arm "dramatically outperformed OS expectations," according to Peregrine Pharmaceuticals.

Despite its initial running start, the continuing development of immunotherapies in the field of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) won't be slowing down anytime soon, according to Naiyer Rizvi, MD.

Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer receiving the combination checkpoint blockade with the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab and the anti-CTLA-4 agent tremelimumab had a response rate of 23%, according to phase Ib data from Study 006.

The FDA has scheduled an Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) advisory hearing for April 12 to review the new drug application for rociletinib, a treatment for metastatic EGFR T790-mutated non-small cell lung cancer.

Single-dose fosaprepitant dimeglumine (Emend for injection) in combination with antiemetic agents has been approved by the FDA for the preventing

With atezolizumab (MPDL3280A) showing great potential as a treatment for patients with non

Lorraine Pelosof, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Hematology and Oncology, UT Southwestern Medical Center, on the increasing proportion of non-smokers developing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Eric Lim, MD, consultant thoracic surgeon, Royal Brompton Hospital, Senior lecturer in thoracic surgery and reader, Imperial College London, discusses the decline in smoking not correlating to the current amount of lung cancer diagnoses.

​Renato G. Martins, MD, MPH, discusses why nivolumab is not ready to move up to being a firstline treatment in non

Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD, discusses resistance to EGFR inhibitors in patients with lung cancer. Oxnard says resistance to treatment in lung cancer is complex, in that it can change from day to day. He cites one example as patients possibly being resistant to T790M targeted treatments to possibly a MET-related resistance.