Lung Cancer

The phase III SUNRISE trial comparing bavituximab plus docetaxel with docetaxel and placebo for patients with non–small cell lung cancer has been halted following a futility analysis.

Mark Socinski, MD, discusses the three generations of drugs are now available to treat patients with EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer, and mutation testing for patients diagnosed with advanced or metastatic disease has been incorporated into clinical practice guidelines.

Pier Luigi Filosso, MD, associate professor of Thoracic Surgery, University of Torino, Italy, discusses future approaches to treating patients with neuroendocrine tumors of lung origin.

Naiyer Rizvi, MD, discusses the role of PD-L1 testing, which PD-1/PD-L1 agents have the most potential, and what is on the horizon for the use of immunotherapies in non-small cell lung cancer.

Renato G. Martins, MD, MPH, medical director, Outpatient General Oncology/Hematology, Thoracic/Head and Neck Oncology, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, professor, University of Washington School of Medicine, discusses patient selection for nivolumab (Opdivo) as a treatment for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

A combination checkpoint blockade with the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab and the anti–CTLA-4 agent tremelimumab induced a response rate of 23% in patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer.

The FDA has scheduled an ODAC advisory hearing for April 12, 2016, to discuss the new drug application for rociletinib as a treatment for patients with metastatic EGFR T790M-mutated non–small cell lung cancer.

The role of immunotherapy is emerging as an effective, and in some cases, dramatic treatment in the non-small cell lung cancer landscape.

Suresh Ramalingam, MD, professor, Emory School of Medicine, and chief, Medical Oncology, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University, discusses combinations with immunotherapy agents and chemotherapy being investigated as potential treatments for patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

With the approval of a dual checkpoint blockade treatment in melanoma, researchers hope to have similar success in a phase III trial that combines a PD-L1 inhibitor and CTLA-4 antibody in patients with non–small cell lung cancer.

Clinical trial findings have implications for expanding the use of genomic testing—and thereby potentially increasing treatment options—for the younger lung cancer population.

The European Commission has granted a conditional marketing authorization to osimertinib for patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive non–small cell lung cancer, regardless of prior treatment with EGFR TKI.

After a rocky start, drugs that inhibit the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway have evolved into a new treatment paradigm for patients with non–small cell lung cancer whose tumors harbor EGFR mutations.

Renato Martins, MD, discusses what questions still remain regarding PD-L1 as a biomarker, sequencing, and how nivolumab and pembrolizumab compare head-to-head in non–small cell lung cancer.

Chandra P. Belani, MD, discusses the impact of clinical trials examining atezolizumab and the role of PD-L1 as a predictive and prognostic biomarker for response to the agent in non–small celll lung cancer.

An emerging vaccine strategy, of TG4010 immunotherapy and first-line chemotherapy, that could target a potential new biomarker in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has successfully reached a phase III clinical trial, researchers noted.