LUNG CANCER

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.

A study analysis tackles the ethical debate surrounding the impact of the increasing requirement for research biopsies on the participation of patients with advanced non-small lung cancer in clinical trials.

Marianne Davies, NP, discusses making patients' oncology team their first line of contact should they develop any toxicities related to receiving treatment. Davies says this is important for patients so that the oncology team can assess whether it is an immune-related side effect, or an issue that can be dealt with by their primary care physician.

Researchers have identified a potential new biomarker for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which may help increase the efficacy of an emerging vaccine based on the MUC-1 antigen.

A team from the Scripps Research Institute and Bristol-Myers Squibb recently collaborated to collectively develop a method for complete chemical synthesis of antroquinonol and to test the biologic activity of the chemically synthesized product. Contrary to previous reports, the study reported minimal in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of chemically synthesized antroquinonol A.

The success of the immunotherapies pembrolizumab and nivolumab for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the promising results in NSCLC for the investigational agent atezolizumab, have generated an interest in new combinations with other agents

Although FGFR pathway deregulation has been identified frequently in NSCLC, clinical activity of FGFR inhibitors has been considered disappointing and modest, at best, to date.

A recent study demonstrated that specimens from patients with lung cancer under the age of 50 years appear to be enriched with molecular alterations that are amenable to targeted treatment.

There are no differences in lung cancer incidence or mortality among women of different ethnic groups when adjusted for age, smoking, and other factors, according to an article recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Non-small cell lung cancer with mutations in the KRAS gene may be associated with reduced activity of a key endocytic pathway and a mesenchymal phenotype, which may cause metastases.

Rex Chin-Wei Yung, MD, FCCP, discusses the value of teamwork in oncology, specifically lung cancer, and the importance of pulmonologists.

The FDA has approved a new treatment consisting of a non-alcohol formulation of docetaxel in patients with breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, prostate cancer, gastric adenocarcinoma, and head and neck cancer.

Afatinib utilized as a frontline treatment reduced risk of progression or death by 27%, as compared to gefitinib in patients with EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. according to a recent phase IIb trial.

The FDA has assigned a breakthrough therapy status to the third-generation EGFR TKI BI-1482694 as a possible treatment for patients with T790M-positive non

The review period for rociletinib for EGFR T790M-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been extended by the FDA by 3 months. The extension allows ample time to review additional data submitted by the drug's developer, Clovis Oncology.

Alectinib has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA in patients with metastatic ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following progression on crizotinib.

William G. Wierda, MD, PhD, discusses ibrutinib and idelalisib as treatments for non-small cell lung cancer. Wierda says that as it currenlty stands, ibrutinib is approved only for patients with NSCLC with a 17p deletion untreated and idelalisib is only approved for patients with untreated NSCLC.

The FDA has granted a priority review for a supplemental new drug application for crizotinib (Xalkori). The indication is for patients with ROS1-positive metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Garon says the likely place to start when looking into combination therapies are cytotoxic chemotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors, given these treatments are currently approved in lung cancer.

Ilaria Muller, PhD student, Cardiff University, on a possible common antigen between thyroid cancer and breast cancer.

Abraham Chachoua, MD, associate professor of Oncology, NYU Langone Medical Center, talks about the present use of anti-PD-1 and anti-PD-L1 becoming the standard second-line treatment in lung cancer.

A combination of the anti-PD-L1 immune checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab with the anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody tremelimumab showed improved tumor response in patients with advanced NSCLC.

The PD-1 inhibitors pembrolizumab and nivolumab should be considered for all patients with advanced NSCLC, said Roman Perez-Soler, MD.

Necitumumab (Portrazza) combined with gemcitabine and cisplatin has been approved by the FDA for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous NSCLC.

Dr. Suresh Ramalingam on sequencing immune checkpoint inhibitors with chemotherapy in NSCLC treatment. He adds that a new class of agents can be given in conjunction with immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as IDO inhibitors.