Dr. Johnson on the Evolution of Frontline Treatment in NSCLC

Melissa L. Johnson, MD, program director, Lung Cancer Research, lead, Solid Tumor Immune Effector Cellular Therapy Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, chair, Cancer Committee, Tristar Health, discusses the evolution of frontline treatment in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Frontline treatment decisions for patients with NSCLC can be complicated due to the growing number of chemotherapy and immunotherapy options available in the space, Johnson says. Community oncologists are challenged with deciding between immunotherapy alone, immunotherapy plus chemotherapy, and when to add an anti–CTLA-4 agent, Johnson explains.

Although the addition of more treatments has made the frontline treatment armamentarium more complex, improved options have benefited patients, Johnson continues. For example, the emerging triplet of durvalumab (Imfinzi) plus tremelimumab and chemotherapy could represent another beneficial frontline regimen for patients with NSCLC, Johnson concludes.