Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD

During the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, looked forward to how trials regarding adjuvant therapy for early-stage non–small cell lung cancer are poised to change the treatment paradigm in this setting.

Cancer Network spoke with Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, of Emory University, about pemetrexed, bevacizumab, or both for advanced non-squamous NSCLC.

The review by Dr. Chiappori and colleagues in this issue of ONCOLOGY addresses an important challenge relating to the optimal management of elderly patients with lung cancer. The authors provide an excellent overview of the data in patients with various stages of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). They also highlight the limitations of the existing data in the management of elderly NSCLC patients.

The treatment of early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has undergone a paradigm shift recently with the addition of systemic therapy to local therapy. The use of cisplatin-based chemotherapy following surgery is now a standard approach for patients with stage II–IIIA disease.

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for approximately 15% of all lung cancers diagnosed in the United States. It is characterized by initial sensitivity to chemotherapy, but a rapid progression to refractory disease and death in a majority of patients.