June Episode Recap

In case you missed any, below is a recap of every episode of OncLive On Air® that aired in June 2024. Check out our podcast page for a full episode lineup and to stay up to date with all the latest releases!

Lenz Discusses the Prognostic and Predictive Value of HER2 Gene Expression in KRAS Wild-Type mCRC

In this exclusive interview, part of an OncClub series, Heinz-Josef Lenz, MD, FACP, of the University of Southern California (USC) Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles, highlighted knowledge gaps regarding the role of HER2 expression in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), the connection between HER2 expression and responses with bevacizumab (Avastin)– vs cetuximab (Erbitux)–based regimens, and the potential for HER2 expression to guide treatment decisions for patients with mCRC.

“RNA can be a more quantitative measure for better understanding HER2 expression in tumors, [accounting for] the limitations of immunohistochemistry,” Lenz said. “With this, I hope that we have a new understanding [of how] to use HER2 as a predictive and prognostic marker, but also open [a path] to integrate more RNA technology into molecular diagnostics.”

ASCO 2024 Plenary: LAURA Trial in Unresectable Stage III EGFRm NSCLC

In the inaugural episode of OncLive On Air’s partnership with Two Onc Docs, hosts Samantha A. Armstrong, MD, of Indiana University Health in Indianapolis and Karine Tawagi, MD, of the University of Illinois in Chicago, discussed top takeaways from the primary results of the phase 3 LAURA trial (NCT03521154), which evaluated osimertinib (Tagrisso) following chemoradiation in patients with stage III, unresectable, EGFR-mutated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

“It is practice changing that now providers can offer osimertinib to these high-risk, unresectable, stage III [patients], rather than durvalumab [Imfinzi],” Tawagi noted. “It’s also great that in this trial, they did allow crossover because otherwise some patients may have not made it to the next line of therapy.”

“Staging for NSCLC is extremely detailed, but it’s also heavily tested on our board [exams],” Armstrong emphasized to oncology trainees. “I definitely remember we had at least 3 to 4 stage III NSCLC questions on our boards day, so go through, review those, find a way…to memorize the basic details of it, so when you go into test day, you know: Stage I, II, or III, and is it resectable stage III or unresectable stage III? They will test you on these heavily.”

Camidge and Cooper on Finding Purpose and Embracing Nuance in Hospital Chaplaincy

In this episode of How This Is Building Me, host D. Ross Camidge, MD, PhD, sat down with Chaplain Rhonda Cooper, the former primary chaplain of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore, Maryland, to discuss Cooper’s career as a chaplain, the focus of and findings from her writing and research about hospital chaplaincy, and the importance of addressing individual patient needs and comfort levels when providing spiritual care.

“The idea of talking to a chaplain appealed to me because I think you don’t get the airtime,” Camidge noted. “You’re there, and you are a central part of the team, but some people are not realizing that there’s a person behind that.”

“We try to be for that patient or that care partner or staff member what they need us to be,” Cooper emphasized about the role of chaplains.

Rosenberg Reviews the Evolving Role of Toripalimab in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

In this exclusive conversation, Ari Rosenberg, MD, of the University of Chicago Medicine in Illinois, highlighted standard-of-care treatment strategies for patients with nasopharyngeal cancer, the evolving role of toripalimab-tpzi (Loqtorzi) in this treatment arena, and how future advances in nasopharyngeal cancer research and management may positively affect the overall head and neck cancer treatment paradigm.

“Since we’ve seen such an impressive combinatorial effect of toripalimab as an immune checkpoint inhibitor in combination with gemcitabine and platinum-based chemotherapy in the recurrent metastatic setting, the natural progression from that is incorporating toripalimab, or other immune checkpoint inhibitors, into the locoregionally advanced paradigm for nasopharyngeal carcinoma,” Rosenberg emphasized.

Reckamp Discusses the Integration of Pragmatic Elements Into Oncology Clinical Trial Designs

In this interview, Karen L. Reckamp, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, explains the purpose and design elements of pragmatic clinical trials, the pragmatic goals of the phase 3 S2302 Pragmatica-Lung trial (NCT05633602), and how oncology researchers can make clinical trials more pragmatic.

“This is a moment where we want to level the playing field and increase representation in our trials,” Reckamp emphasized. “To do that, we need to make trials less complex when it’s appropriate and try to answer simple questions in addition to the complex molecular and biologic questions we have.”

Agulnik Highlights Key Updates in GIST Research and Management

In this exclusive interview, Mark Agulnik, MD, of the USC Keck School of Medicine, highlighted notable updates in the management of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) ahead of GIST Awareness Day on July 13, including disease factors that can drive personalized treatment decision-making; how ripretinib (Qinlock) has influenced the treatment paradigm; and how ongoing research within the GIST realm could accelerate the evolution of the treatment of patients with this disease.

“Currently, [the GIST treatment paradigm] is much better positioned than [it has been] in the past several years,” Agulnik emphasized. “There are a number of studies that are ongoing, and my recommendation always would be to see whether there is a clinical trial in the area of where you live, so patients can be diverted to those trials. The benefit of that, then, is that the entire community gets access to drugs once they come to market.”

Dietrich and Shiller on the Importance of Oncology Reflex Testing

In this conversation, Martin F. Dietrich, MD, PhD, of Cancer Care Centers of Brevard, The US Oncology Network, in Space Coast, Florida, and the University of Central Florida College of Medicine in Orlando; and Michelle Shiller, DO, of Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, Texas, and PathGroup, detail the importance of reflex testing in cancers such as lung cancer, how this type of testing can be incorporated in oncology practice, and the significance of collaboration between medical oncologists and pathologists to facilitate successful reflex testing to improve patient outcomes.

“It would be a missed opportunity to not take advantage of the expertise that our colleagues in molecular pathology bring to the table,” Dietrick emphasized. “For us, it’s important to have a clear interpretation. I see in my practice a fair number of second opinions, so having first-hand insight into the interpretation of some of these results, how our colleagues are doing it, it’s important to build a network of support that assists in the interpretation and implementation of these testing results.”

“As a pathologist, I strongly encourage my pathology colleagues to familiarize themselves with every aspect, to dig into the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines, and help to lead the conversation from a testing perspective, since the oncologists have so many other variables to be considering with their patients,” Shiller added.