Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD

Panelists discuss the typical treatment approach for patients with lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), the patient-specific factors considered in first-line treatment selection, insights from the ASCO 2024 retrospective studies on first-line systemic treatment outcomes, and key considerations for choosing a second-line treatment strategy.

Panelists discuss the vital multidisciplinary coordination needed to optimize care for patients with lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), including the roles of various specialists, ensuring alignment on diagnosis, risk assessment, and treatment goals, and the importance of involving the patient in these discussions.

Panelists discuss the challenges encountered with molecular or pathology testing for lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) and how treatment plans are determined when testing is not feasible.

Panelists discuss the factors that influence the decision to perform a fine needle aspirate vs an incisional biopsy, whether testing is conducted in-house or at a central laboratory, and how the results of these tests impact the treatment plan for patients with lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC).

Panelists discuss how biomarker testing for lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is approached, covering the frequency and types of tests used, such as NGS, the timing of DLL3 testing, and the factors influencing the choice between fine needle aspirate and other biopsy techniques.

Panelists discuss how lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is diagnosed, including the challenges associated with its differential diagnosis.

Panelists discuss how the characterization and classification of lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) has evolved over the past decade, highlighting the clinical heterogeneity of these tumors and how it is navigated in clinical practice.

Panelists discuss how lung large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) is characterized by its biology, incidence, risk factors, clinical presentation, and prognosis, while addressing the challenges, unmet needs, and the trial data required to guide testing and treatment guidelines for this rare cancer.

Dr. Martin Dietrich presents updated efficacy and safety data from the Phase 2 PHAROS study, evaluating encorafenib plus binimetinib in patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, showing sustained clinical activity and a consistent safety profile after extended follow-up.

Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, discusses updated efficacy findings from the 18-month follow-up of the phase 2 VISION trial.

Drs Dietrich and Shiller detail the importance of collaboration between medical oncologists and pathologists to ensure beneficial oncology reflex testing.

Zofia Piotrowska, MD, MHS, and Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, emphasize the critical role of both tissue and liquid biopsies, the necessity of rapid time-to-treatment initiation, and the increasing likelihood of liquid biopsies becoming the standard of care for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patients in the near future.

Key opinion leaders delve into the challenges posed by payers, costs, out-of-pocket maximums, and the need for letters of medical necessity, while also addressing additional sources of resistance encountered in clinical practice.

Zofia Piotrowska, MD, MHS, shares insights into the challenges and advantages of diagnostic testing practices at Massachusetts General Hospital, including the benefits of on-site testing, the need for less streamlined consent forms, and areas for improvement to expedite the diagnostic testing ordering process.

Key opinion leaders highlight findings from a University of Pennsylvania study demonstrating that implementing reflex next-generation sequencing testing can reduce time-to-treatment from 19 days to 10 days, potentially leading to improved overall patient outcomes and survival rates in non-small cell lung cancer.

Medical experts recommend that EGFR, ALK, and PD-L1 testing be performed as reflex tests for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer to inform personalized treatment strategies.

The panel concludes the discussion with key takeaways on the evolving treatment landscape in HER2 non–small cell lung cancer.

Experts on HER2 NSCLC provide clinical insights on selecting between antibody-drug conjugates and TKIs, treatment sequencing, and the role of chemoimmunotherapy.

The expert panel underscores the critical importance of rapid diagnostic testing and identification of driver alterations to optimize patient outcomes, given the often-narrow therapeutic window for chemotherapy and targeted therapies.

Key opinion leaders examine the current National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines regarding the utilization of liquid and tissue biopsies, highlighting the necessity for the NCCN to prioritize and recommend concurrent testing as the preferred approach over relying on a single liquid or tissue biopsy alone.

The expert panel shares its thoughts on current challenges and unmet needs in the overall HER2-mutated non–small cell lung cancer treatment landscape.

D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, discusses the main adverse events seen with TKIs in patients with HER2-mutated non–small cell lung cancer.

Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, shares his approach to optimizing the use of diagnostic testing from both a tissue perspective and cost perspective, noting he routinely orders tissue and liquid biopsies during the initial patient visit if prior testing has not been conducted.

Zofia Piotrowska, MD, MHS, and Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, emphasize the crucial role of molecular testing in disease diagnosis, focusing on the significance of rapid turnaround times and the ability of liquid biopsies to address time-sensitive diagnostic needs.

Martin Dietrich, MD, PhD, provides an overview of the first-in-human study of BAY2927088, a novel TKI, in patients with advanced HER2-mutated non–small cell lung cancer.

The panel offers comprehensive insights on the Beamion LUNG-1 clinical trial, which is investigating zongertinib in patients with advanced HER2-mutated non–small cell lung cancer.

Edward Kim, MD, MBA, describes the potential role of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the treatment of patients with HER2-mutated non–small cell lung cancer.

Lyudmila A. Bazhenova, MD, an expert on non–small cell lung cancer, provides clinical insights on the management of adverse events associated with antibody-drug conjugates.

Edward S. Kim, MD, MBA, discusses the DESTINY-Lung04 trial, a study evaluating trastuzumab deruxtecan as first-line treatment for patients with HER2-mutated NSCLC.

Experts on HER2-mutated NSCLC discuss the patient populations in which they’d utilize trastuzumab deruxtecan and share their clinical experiences with the therapy.