Lung Cancer

As treatments for lung cancer move forward and patient care services continue to expand, the role of the pharmacist in oncology is critical.

Investigators have found that a small percentage of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor-resistant cancer cells are present in certain patients with non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs), potentially explaining tumor regrowth in these patients.

The data show that the maximum tolerated dose of rigosertib in combination with nivolumab was not reached in the 3 cohorts of the trial’s dose-escalation phase in patients with advanced KRAS-positive metastatic lung adenocarcinoma.

In an interview with Pharmacy Times® and Directions in Oncology Pharmacy®, Abizer Gaslightwala, vice president and head of the U.S. Hematology and Oncology division at Jazz Pharmaceuticals discusses the company’s new digital resource, Nothing Small About It.

The current study analyzed human tumor samples from 6 cancer types: liver, melanoma, colorectal, non-small lung, head and neck, and breast cancer.

Trilaciclib (Cosela) is indicated to reduce the frequency of chemotherapy-induced bone marrow suppression in adults receiving certain types of chemotherapy for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer.

Earlier this year, the FDA granted accelerated approval to tepotinib (Tepmetko, EMD Serono Inc) for the treatment of adults with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer who are harboring MET exon 14 skipping alterations.

Phase 2 clinical trial results assessing sotorasib in previously treated patients with NSCLC showed that the drug presented a median OS of 12.5 months among 124 patients.

The researchers analyzed patients with lung cancer before they underwent surgery and calculated their excess body weight using visceral fat index measured by CT scans.

Data were presented at the virtual 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Conference.

Investigative and newly approved drugs targeting RET activity and KRAS-related mutations are showing deep, durable responses in several types of cancers.

While discussing a few case studies, the panel was able to make appropriate treatment decisions for each patient and emphasized the importance of communicating with patients as a physician.

Researchers estimate a 5-year overall survival rate of 42.9% for patients treated with durvalumab compared with 33.4% for those administered a placebo after chemoradiation therapy.

Lung cancer, the most common cancer type with the highest mortality, can largely be categorized by the genetic mutations that cause it.

This is the first and only oncology immunotherapy to show positive phase 3 results in the adjuvant lung cancer setting.

The objective of the study was to determine whether atezolizumab could also be efficacious for patients with earlier-stage disease who may be at risk of disease recurrence following surgery

In a trial of amivantamab-vmjw, investigators found an overall response rate of 40% among patients with non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors have epidermal growth factor receptor exon 20 insertion mutations.

Addition of atezolizumab and durvalumab to chemotherapy is a win for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer

The safety profile for the combination treatment remained consistent with previously reported data in NSCLC and was deemed manageable with established protocols with no new safety signals identified.

The durvalumab plus chemotherapy arm demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in PFS versus chemotherapy in the previous analysis, but the OS trend observed in this analysis did not achieve statistical significance.

Prevention methods, including smoking cessation and public education, remain critical in combating the United States’ third most common cancer type.

A session at the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association Virtual Annual Conference provided an overview of how treatment options are changing with potential new therapies in development for patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Because each of these methods targets 1 of 2 subtypes of tumor cell, both methods must be utilized simultaneously in order to kill the majority of the tumor mass, according to the study.

In the United States, non–small cell lung cancer accounts for 80% to 85% of all lung cancers, with most patients initially diagnosed with advanced or metastatic disease.

In patients who received early palliative care, researchers noted a lower percentage of patients with depression, improved quality of life, and, significantly, longer survival.