Julie R. Brahmer, MD

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have changed the treatment paradigm for patients with lung cancer, bringing about the most promising outcomes we have seen in a long time.

This management guide for non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) covers the symptoms, screening, diagnosis, staging, and treatment of adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and large-cell carcinoma of the lung.

In this interview, ahead of the AACR annual meeting, we speak with Dr. Julie Brahmer, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, who is giving a presentation on immunotherapy in lung cancer, and is one of the clinical investigators of the extensive phase I trial of the anti–PD-1 antibody nivolumab.

Drs. Novello and Le Chevalierhave written a comprehensivereview on the role of chemotherapyin the treatment of non–smallcelllung cancer (NSCLC). Theirreview spans chemotherapy’s controversialuse in early-stage disease toits mainstream use in late-stage disease.The authors highlight the controversiesin the treatment andresearch of all stages of NSCLC anddiscuss ongoing research in combiningchemotherapy with the new molecularlytargeted agents.