Ticiana A. Leal, MD

Ticiana A. Leal, MD

Ticiana A. Leal, MD, is an associate professor and director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia; as well as medical director of the Clinical Trials Office and leader of the Lung Cancer Disease Team at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Articles by Ticiana A. Leal, MD

Experts discuss the promise of subcutaneous (SubQ) amivantamab in improving logistical efficiency and reducing infusion-related reactions in the MARIPOSA regimen, while emphasizing that chronic toxicities persist regardless of administration route, underscoring the ongoing need for proactive monitoring, supportive care, and close clinical oversight.

Experts discuss the comparative merits of FLAURA2 and MARIPOSA frontline regimens for EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer, noting similar survival benefits but highlighting key differences in toxicity profiles, supportive care demands, and real-world practicality that make individualized patient counseling essential to treatment selection.

Experts discuss a key finding from FLAURA2 showing that many patients never reach second-line therapy, reinforcing the importance of delivering the most effective treatment—such as combination therapy—up-front, particularly when patients are fit, as real-world barriers and rapid progression may limit later opportunities for intervention.

Experts discuss the slow but growing real-world adoption of combination therapy for EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) despite strong FLAURA2 survival data, citing factors such as clinical inertia, comfort with monotherapy, and regional practice variations, while anticipating broader uptake as confidence, education, and infrastructure catch up with the evolving standard of care.

Experts discuss the gap between current clinical guidelines and emerging trial data in EGFR-mutant lung cancer, highlighting calls to elevate combination therapies in treatment recommendations following robust survival benefits, while underscoring the continued importance of individualized care and patient-centered flexibility in frontline decision-making.

Experts discuss the evolving role of combination therapy in frontline treatment for EGFR-mutated metastatic lung cancer, emphasizing that while survival data from FLAURA2 support broader use beyond traditionally defined high-risk groups, real-world factors and patient preferences continue to necessitate individualized, shared decision-making.

Panelists discuss how the overexpression of B7-H3 plays a crucial prognostic role in small cell lung cancer, exploring the mechanisms by which ifinatamab deruxtecan targets this protein to overcome treatment resistance and enhance tumor selectivity, while also considering the potential for durable responses and the use of patient-derived xenograft models to advance drug development and assess B7-H3 expression.

Panelists discuss how the treatment schedule of ifinatamab deruxtecan at 12 mg/kg intravenouslyIV Q3W once every 3 weeks may compare favorably to established regimens like amrubicin, topotecan, and lurbinectedin for relapsed small cell lung cancer, while also exploring potential dose adjustments, immunogenicity concerns, and the synergistic effects when combined with atezolizumab and carboplatin.

Panelists discuss how tarlatamab could serve as a promising combination therapy for previously treated small cell lung cancer, highlighting its potential clinical benefits when paired with durvalumab as maintenance therapy after standard regimens, and emphasizing the importance of statistically significant trial end points to encourage its adoption in community oncology practices.

Panelists discuss how the risks and clinical benefits of tarlatamab in relapsed or refractory extensive-stage small cell lung cancer must be carefully evaluated, considering the implications of bBlack bBox warnings for cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell–-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, as well as the challenges of managing outpatient therapy for patients distant from treatment facilities, while also exploring the potential for reduced monitoring time between infusions given the safety profile observed in clinical studies.

Panelists discuss how the DeLLphi-301 clinical trial demonstrates an objective response rate of 32% to 40% with tarlatamab, which is clinically meaningful given the rapid onset of responses observed between 5 and 7 weeks, while also considering the implications of a median overall survival of 14 months and the duration of response exceeding 6six months for relapsed or refractory extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Panelists discuss how the definition of platinum sensitivity in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer may still rely on the 90-day criterion, while also exploring other factors contributing to treatment resistance, alongside an examination of tarlatamab’'s unique mechanism as a bispecific T-cell engager and its potential as a subsequent therapy after platinum-based chemotherapy.