Final Thoughts on Improving Outcomes in NSCLC

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In the final segment, moderator Corey J. Langer, MD, asks each panelist for their final thoughts on improving the treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). One area not discussed in the prior 13 segments was preventive strategies, notes Benjamin P. Levy, MD. It has been demonstrated that CT screening reduces lung cancer mortality. Additionally, novel strategies are fast approaching that utilize blood and breath tests, Levy adds.

The goal of lung cancer treatment is to eventually achieve a cure, Heather A. Wakelee, MD, says. At this point, the most immediate area for this research is in patients with early stage lung cancer. To explore this setting further, studies are currently examining already approved agents in the adjuvant setting for patients following resection of stage I-III NSCLC, Wakelee notes.

Positive data on the ligand-specific EGFR inhibitor necitumumab in patients with squamous cell NSCLC will be presented at the 2014 ASCO Annual Meeting, notes Mark A. Socinski, MD. In recent years, the development of new drugs for patients with squamous histology has lagged behind the advances made in non-squamous populations.

Ten years after the EGFR mutation was discovered the need for personalized medicine continues to evolve, Mark G. Kris, MD, notes. This goes beyond targeted therapies, emphasizing the need to talk and listen to the patient in order to meet their individual needs.