LUNG CANCER

The presence of hypothyroidism caused by treatment with immunotherapy correlated with improvement in overall survival among patients with non–small cell lung cancer, suggesting that thyroid toxicity may be a predictor of response to immunotherapy in this patient population.

In the phase 3 EMPOWER-Lung 1 trial, patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer with PD-L1 expression on at least 50% of their tumor cells, had a significant improvement in overall survival and progression-free survival with cemiplimab-rwlc monotherapy compared with platinum-doublet chemotherapy.

Patients with completely resected stage IIIAN2 non–small cell lung cancer should not be recommended for post-operative radiotherapy, according to results from the phase 3 LungART trial that were presented during the ESMO Virtual Congress 2020, due to nonstatistically significant increase in disease-free survival versus those treated in the control group.

According to results from the phase 3 CROWN trial, the third-generation ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitor loralitinib achieved a significant improvement in progression-free survival as well as higher overall and intracranial response rates, compared with crizotinib in patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer.

The use of durvalumab as treatment of patients with resectable non–small cell lung cancer in the neoadjuvant setting showed preliminary promise with a satisfactory complete surgical resection rate, according to the phase 2 IFCT-1601 IONESC study.

In patients with non–small cell lung cancer who were eligible for surgical resection, treatment with one dose of neoadjuvant atezolizumab was considered safe and induced major pathological responses in some patients.

Larotrectinib induced durable responses in patients with TRK fusion–positive lung cancer, even in patients with central nervous system metastases, according to results pooled from 2 trials of the TRK inhibitor and presented in a poster at the European Society of Medical Oncology Virtual Congress 2020.

Jorge A. Rios, MD, a medical oncologist at Zangmeister Cancer Center in Columbus, Ohio, part of the American Oncology Network, shared the case of a woman who developed multiple severe adverse events attributable to durvalumab.

Edward Kim, MD, chair, Department of Solid Tumor Oncology, Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC, discussed the use of atezolizumab and durvalumab as treatment of a 73-year-old female patient with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer during a virtual Case Based Peer Perspective event.

Lyudmila Bazhenova, MD, presents the case of a 58-year-old woman with ALK+ non–small cell lung cancer.

Alex Spira, MD, PhD, director, Virginia Cancer Specialists, Phase I Trial Program, Fairfax, VA, discussed the use of durvalumab as treatment of a 63-year-old male with unresectable stage III non–small cell lung cancer.

During a virtual Case Based Peer Perspective series, Zofia Piotrowska, MD, discussed the case of a 66-year-old man with non–small cell lung cancer and a genetic mutation.

The case of a 73-year-old Asian patient diagnosed with non–small cell lung cancer and an EGFR exon 19 deletion was discussed during a virtual Case Based Peer Perspectives event, led by Melissa L. Johnson, MD.

The FDA has approved pralsetinib for the treatment of adult patients with metastatic RET fusion–positive non–small cell lung cancer, as detected by an FDA-approved test.

During a virtual Case Based Peer Perspectives event, Mark G. Kris, MD, attending physician, Thoracic Oncology Service, William and Joy Ruane chair in Thoracic Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discussed molecular testing for a 59-year-old patient with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of the lung, as wells as the treatment options for the patient.

In the first reported trial of an immune checkpoint inhibitor with chemotherapy in patients with treatment naïve malignant pleural mesothelioma, durvalumab in combination with cisplatin and pemetrexed demonstrated clinical activity and tolerability, according to published study.

Clinically meaningful antitumor activity was observed with capmatinib in patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer who harbor MET exon 14 skipping mutations, according to results from the phase 2 GEOMETRY mono-1 clinical trial.

The survival outcomes observed in this study further supported the biosimilarity between bevacizumab and SB8.

John V. Heymach, MD, PhD, reviewed the case of a 73-year-old women with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer during a virtual Case Based Peer Perspective event.

Edward B. Garon, MD, discusses an exciting new agent, or class of agents, that are under evaluation as treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.