Dr. Ramalingam on Limitations With Immunotherapy in NSCLC

Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, FASCO, deputy director, ​director, Lung Cancer Program, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research, professor, assistant dean for cancer research, director, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, discusses limitations with immunotherapy in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Over the past few years, significant progress has been made with immunotherapy and targeted therapy in NSCLC, Ramalingam says. As a result, patients are now experiencing prolonged survival and improved quality of life.

However, only a small subset of patients will respond to immunotherapy, ​explains Ramalingam. As such, ​utilizing PD-L1 as a biomarker can help to predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapy. 

Ultimately, improv​ing the percentage of patients that benefit from checkpoint inhibitors remains an unmet need in NSCLC, ​says Ramalingam.

Additionally, developing novel therapies for patients who become resistant to checkpoint inhibitors should be a focus of future research efforts, Ramalingam concludes.