Dr. Nadler on the Impact of Immunotherapy in Squamous NSCLC

Eric S. Nadler, MD, medical oncologist, Baylor University Medical Center, medical director, US Oncology Health Informatics and Internet Technology, discusses the impact of immunotherapy in squamous non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In this patient population, the addition of immunotherapy has significantly improved response rates from what was previously seen with chemotherapy alone, Nadler says. Overall survival (OS) is being prolonged in unprecedented fashion, even when immunotherapy is used as second-line treatment. However, it appears that giving chemoimmunotherapy in the frontline setting is more effective because not all patients are fit enough to receive immunotherapy in the second-line setting, Nadler notes.

It may seem as though immunotherapy is readily available, but recent data show not all patients can get it in the second-line setting. Moreover, the benefit with immunotherapy is seen across PD-L1 subgroups. While the progression-free survival in the PD-L1—negative group is not impressive by itself, there is a clear OS benefit in that population, says Nadler.