Lung Cancer

Julie R. Brahmer, MD, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses immunotherapy and how it can advance as a treatment option for patients with lung cancer.

Medicare will immediately cover lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography for high-risk individuals, including current and former smokers.

The anti–PD-L1 agent MPDL3280A has received a breakthrough therapy designation from the FDA for PD-L1–positive non–small cell lung cancer that has progressed during or after platinum-based chemotherapy, as well as a targeted therapy for patients with EGFR- or ALK-positive tumors.

Chandra P. Belani, MD, deputy director, Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Miriam Beckner Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, discusses the benefits of immunotherapy for lung cancer.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeted against PD-1 and its ligand PD-L1 have rapidly advanced as treatments for patients with melanoma and non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), following their initial debut in 2012.

Nivolumab improved survival versus docetaxel in patients with pretreated squamous cell non–small cell lung cancer in the phase III CheckMate-017 trial.

Corey Langer, MD, the director of Thoracic Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania, discuses afatinib, which was approved in 2013 for first line EGFR-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

A lung cancer researcher who has served on the editorial boards of major medical journals, Howard L. "Jack" West, MD, has made communicating with oncology specialists and patients a part of his professional mission.

In CT screening for lung cancer, the regimen of screening is a critical factor in diagnosing lung cancer early while limiting unnecessary tests and invasive procedures.

The FDA has approved the VEGFR-2 inhibitor ramucirumab (Cyramza) in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumor has progressed during or following treatment with platinum-based chemotherapy.

Despite the proven benefits of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for patients with inoperable stage I non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), whether such patients are offered it depends on their race, insurance status, and the type of facility where they are being treated.

David Spigel, MD, director, Lung Cancer Research Program, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the development of onartuzumab for the treatment of patients with lung cancer.

Based on a current laboratory research project, Zarah Dulce F. Lucas, MD, discusses microRNAs and their potential to predict brain metastases in patients with triple-negative and HER2-positive breast cancer.

Recent advances with immune checkpoint inhibitors could improve outcomes for patients with squamous cell non-small cell lung cancer, a traditionally hard to treat histology.