Lung Cancer

Several updates highlighted at the 2012 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting as well as other developments.

New discoveries about tumor biology suggest to many researchers that targeted therapies, when used in appropriate early-stage patients, might significantly boost cure rates and extend lives.

While the number of known mutations and matching targeted agents is relatively limited at present, clinical trials are being designed to identify effective therapies for specific mutations more efficiently.

As therapy based on cell-signaling pathways has become a priority in cancer research, so has the concept of designing clinical trials that can better target patient populations more likely to benefit from a particular regimen.

Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, from Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute, explains that a number of new cytotoxic drugs are being developed in combination with targeted therapies, such as EGFR inhibitors.

William T. DeRosa, DO, from Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital, discusses subset analyses from the phase III CA031 trial that examined nab-paclitaxel in non-small cell lung cancer.

Tianhong (Tina) Li, MD, PhD, from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses results from the LUX-Lung 3 trial that examined afatinib as a first-line treatment for patients with EGFR-positive advanced lung adenocarcinoma.

The FDA has accepted a NDA for afatinib to treat patients with locally advanced or metastatic NSCLC who have tested positive for an EGFR mutation that has been identified through a companion diagnostic test.

Corey J. Langer, MD, from the University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center, discusses the EGFR-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

An ever-deeper understanding of the biology that drives NSCLC is sparking new treatment paradigms that include selecting targeted drugs based on patients' biomarkers.

The 7th edition TNM staging system for NSCLC is an exciting accomplishment, and will help the clinician to better understand the outcomes of lung cancer and offers an exciting advance to our specialty.

Despite missing its main goals, the PointBreak trial did provide guidance about how best to structure maintenance therapy in NSCLC, and it proved that an option besides paclitaxel is available.

The UC Davis Lung Cancer Chat Room is an interactive meeting of learning and support for patients, families, friends and caregivers affected by lung cancer.

Mark G. Kris, MD, chief of the Thoracic Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the importance of accurately determining a patient's performance status.

PS2 patients in focus at the 7th Annual New York Lung Cancer Symposium, hosted by Physicians' Education Resource, that took place in New York City.

Scott Gettinger, MD, associate professor of medicine (medical oncology), Yale School of Medicine, explains the development of immunotherapies in lung cancer.

Mark G. Kris, MD, offers insight into NSCLC related topics, including emerging therapeutic targets, the optimal application of TKIs, strategies for patients with poor performance status, maintenance therapies, and the treatment pipeline.

Local ablative therapy plus continuation on the same tyrosine kinase inhibitor could be utilized as a treatment alternative in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.

Results of a large phase III trial testing the efficacy of the investigational vaccine L-BLP25 in patients with advanced lung cancer found that the vaccine failed to show a statistically significant improvement in overall survival

Mark G. Kris, MD, from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the administration of dacomitinib for patient with EGFR-positive lung cancer.

Scott Gettinger, MD, from the Yale School of Medicine, discusses updated results from a phase I trial that examined the novel immunotherapy BMS-936558 in patients with NSCLC and other solid tumors.

Results of the phase III MISSION trial showed that third- or fourth-line treatment with sorafenib did not improve overall survival in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer.

Motesanib combined with carboplatin/paclitaxel does not significantly improve OS versus carboplatin/ paclitaxel alone in patients with advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer, according to the results of the phase III MONET1 study.