Lung Cancer

The combination of exosomal RNA and cell-free DNA improved the sensitivity of blood-based liquid biopsy for EGFR mutation detection in non–small-cell lung cancer compared with standard circulating tumor DNA.

The combination therapy increased the attraction of immune cells to fight non-small cell lung cancer and also boosted the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In this slide show we highlight some of the top news on lung cancer in 2017, including FDA approvals, a new standard of care for ALK-positive lung cancer, increased risk with vitamin B supplements, and more.

Results from a recent study show that some differences exist in NSCLC gene expression from African Americans and European Americans, which could be leveraged to improve patient outcome in both populations.

Treatment with anamorelin significantly increased lean body mass and improved anorexia symptoms in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer, according to a new study conducted in Japan.

The early integration of oncology and palliative care enhanced coping strategies and improved QOL for patients newly diagnosed with incurable lung or GI cancer.

A new study suggests that the protein NFS1 provides a central protection for cancer cells against oxygen and that it may be possible to leverage this discovery into a new lung cancer treatment.

The gut microbiome affects the efficacy of PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade immunotherapy against melanoma and other cancers, according to a pair of recent studies.

Researchers report on the development of a blood-based assay that could potentially provide an earlier warning of small cell lung cancer relapse by improving diagnostic lead-time compared with CT scan.

The LMWH enoxaparin failed to improve overall or progression-free survival in small-cell lung cancer patients, in spite of improved rates of venous thromboembolism.

Researchers analyzed samples from 1,122 patients with advanced-stage NSCLC and discovered that 92.9% of tumors from harbored multiple changes in cancer-related genes in addition to the EGFR driver mutation.

The addition of bevacizumab to adjuvant chemotherapy failed to improve survival outcomes in patients with surgically resected early-stage NSCLC.

Poizotinib, once abandoned as a general EGFR inhibitor, recently demonstrated tumor shrinkage in patients with an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation.

This peer-to-peer exchange highlights results of a study that tested whether analyzing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) during treatment with chemoradiotherapy could predict outcomes in patients with localized lung cancer.

The FDA approved alectinib as first-line therapy for ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer based on results of the ALEX study, which showed significant improved PFS compared with crizotinib.

Data presented at the recent World Conference on Lung Cancer show that pembrolizumab improves overall survival in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors express high levels of PD-L1.

A new risk model was effective at identifying individuals subsequently diagnosed with early and potentially curable lung cancer.

Data presented at the ASTRO annual meeting demonstrate a benefit of radiation plus immunotherapy for patients with advanced disease, including stage IV NSCLC.

Data presented at the ASTRO annual meeting demonstrate a benefit of radiation plus immunotherapy for patients with advanced disease, including stage IV NSCLC.

This video reviews results of a randomized trial comparing intensity modulated radiation therapy vs passively scattered proton therapy for locally advanced non–small-cell lung cancer.

The combination of selumetinib and docetaxel did not improve progression-free survival among patients with advanced or metastatic non–small-cell lung cancer vs placebo plus docetaxel.

Participating in a 12-week physical exercise and psychosocial intervention improved the functional capacity of patients with advanced-stage lung cancer, which may result in improvement in quality of life, according to the results of a study presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Treating patients with early-stage, resected, node-positive non–small-cell lung cancer with customized chemotherapy based on BRCA1 expression levels did not increase overall survival rates.

Quality of life was not improved with the use of early palliative care for patients recently diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to data presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer.

Small-cell lung cancer patients with high tumor mutation burden treated with immunotherapy had greater objective response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival compared with patients with medium or low tumor burden.

While the incidence of irAEs is relatively low, the absolute number of patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors is steadily increasing. Thus, it is likely that, with time, larger numbers of patients will develop irAEs, including pneumonitis.

The second-generation EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor dacomitinib significantly improved progression-free survival over gefitinib as a first-line therapy for EGFR–positive non–small-cell lung cancer, according to a randomized phase III trial.

Data presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress demonstrated that alectinib may have CNS benefit in patients with advanced ALK-positive NSCLC.

This video reviews long-term results of the NRG Oncology RTOG 0915 trial, a randomized phase II study that compared stereotactic body radiation therapy delivered in one fraction vs four fractions for stage I peripheral non–small-cell lung cancer patients with unresectable disease.

This video highlights studies on advanced lung cancer with practice-changing potential presented at the 2017 ASTRO Annual Meeting.