Dr. Perez-Soler on Improved Outlook for Patients With Lung Cancer

Roman Perez-Soler, MD, chairman of the Department of Oncology and chief of the Division of Medical Oncology at Montefiore Medical Center, discusses the improved outlook for patients with lung cancer.

Twenty years ago, when patients were told that they had lung cancer it meant that they would probably succumb to their disease within a few months. Patients would receive toxic chemotherapy while dealing with symptomatic disease. Today, there are several effective treatment options available, particularly in the stage IV metastatic setting. These new therapies not only provide a physical benefit to patients, but have also helped improve the psychological outlook for patients with the disease. Since there has been so much rapid advancement in the space, the new mentality is that it is worth it to fight the disease; patients know that even more progress is inevitable.

Lung cancer is no longer a disease where oncologists simply don’t know what to do for their patients. There is a renewed interest in conducting research in this space, because investigators are starting to realize that the disease is not as complicated as originally believed. With more science driving research in lung cancer, even more effective therapies could be coming down the pike.