Lung Cancer

Dr. Suzanne Topalian, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, on the PD-1 Targeted Therapy BMS-936558

An immunotherapy agent that targets the PD-1 pathway demonstrated response rates as high as 28% in an early-phase study involving patients with different tumor types.

At this year's annual NCCN conference, the organization presented updates in 13 areas, including specific disease states and general screening methods.

The addition of thalidomide to chemoradiotherapy provides no survival benefit and increases toxicity in patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

Dr. Elizabeth Gore, from the Medical College of Wisconsin, on Toxicity in Elderly Lung Cancer Patients

The long-sought aim of treating malignant disease by targeting particular molecular abnormalities is becoming a reality in an increasing number of clinical settings.

Being newly diagnosed with lung or colorectal cancer is often not sufficient to motivate cigarette smokers to quit.

This issue of Contemporary Oncology includes a focus on 2 challenging situations: management of metastatic TNBC and of advanced stage NSCLC.

New and relevant studies are examining the role of histology, biomarkers, and growth factor receptor inhibitors in the treatment of NSCLC.

The concept of screening people at high risk for developing lung cancer with low-dose computed tomography continues to gain support in the oncology community.

The development of crizotinib has helped crystallize a relatively rare molecular subset of NSCLC and holds the potential for wider use in treating patients with the disease.

Preoperative gemcitabine plus cisplatin followed by radical surgery is feasible, tolerable, and active in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.

Dr. Elizabeth Gore, from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Discusses Hypofractionated Radiotherapy

Jill M. Siegfried, PhD, is an investigator into the role of growth factors and hormones in the development and growth of lung cancer.

An interview with Mark G. Kris, MD, chief of the Thoracic Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who has dedicated the past 30 years to helping patients with lung cancer.

Dr. Roman Perez-Soler, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine, on the Future of Lung Cancer Therapies

Dr. Chandra Belani from Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute Discusses Driver Mutations in NSCLC

Dr. Roman Perez-Soler, from Montefiore Medical Center, on Treatment Options for NSCLC

Many older patients with stage III lung cancer who received radiation therapy fared no better than those who did not receive radiation therapy.

With the discovery of mutation drivers for NSCLC--including EGFR, KRAS, and EMLA 4-ALK--targeted therapies directed to those mutations are beginning to make a difference.

An aggressive approach to care involving the continuation of chemotherapy within 2 weeks of death does not improve survival in elderly patients with metastatic NSCLC.

Patients with limited and extensive SCLC show incremental gains with different treatment strategies but so far novel agents have failed to make a difference in outcomes.

High-dose radiation was no better than standard-dose radiation given concurrently with chemotherapy in extending survival of patients with advanced unresectable NSCLC.

Patients undergoing lung resection for NSCLC are frequently exposed to a higher dose of radiation than that which has been deemed safe for healthcare workers.

Dr. Chandra Belani, from the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Discusses NSCLC Adjuvant Therapy