Lung Cancer

In a new trial, amrubicin showed a slight improvement for patients with refractory small-cell lung cancer in the second-line setting.

Cancer survivors are at an increased risk for developing a second smoking-associated cancer if they smoked cigarettes prior to their first cancer diagnosis.

The NLST is a landmark trial demonstrating that implementation of low-dose CT screening lowers lung cancer–related mortality. We must put the study results and cost-effectiveness analyses in the context of the staggering statistics: up to 65% of lung cancer patients present with advanced-stage disease where treatments are often costly, toxic, and only palliative in nature.

The development of CT lung cancer screening, the publication of results from the NLST in 2011, and the grade-B recommendation for CT lung cancer screening in high-risk smokers by the USPSTF raise a number of interesting national health policy issues.

NLST data clearly demonstrate that lung cancer screening is effective and safe and reduces lung cancer-specific mortality by at least 20%. There is no possible reason for CMS to further delay or restrict lung cancer screening for those at high risk.

American medicine is poised for an expanded conflict over the assumption and consequences of risk in medical care.

A small trial yielded “dramatic” results with high progression-free and overall survival using SBRT along with erlotinib for patients with stage IV lung cancer.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced plans to cover low-dose CT screening for lung cancer, based mainly on the National Lung Screening Trial.

A study of next-generation genetic sequencing found the techniques to be feasible and useful in NSCLC patients, producing actionable results in a large proportion of patients.

Only 14% of newly diagnosed lung or colorectal cancer patients reported discussing clinical trial participation with their physician, and fewer participated.

The FDA granted breakthrough therapy designation to pembrolizumab (Keytruda), an anti-PD-1 agent for the treatment of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer who do not have EGFR mutations or ALK rearrangements.

A new study suggests that expression of the enzyme thymidylate synthase can be used as a predictive marker for lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

ASCO has endorsed a clinical practice guideline from several associations on when to offer molecular testing for EGFR and ALK mutations in lung cancer patients.

The MAGRIT trial showed no benefit with the recMAGE-A3 + AS15 cancer immunotherapeutic compared with placebo in completely resected, MAGE-A3-positive NSCLC.

Continuing gefitinib after acquiring resistance to the TKI adds no clinical benefit in patients with EGFR-positive non-small-cell lung cancer, according to trial results presented at the 2014 ESMO Congress.

Adding thoracic radiotherapy to chemotherapy and prophylactic cranial irradiation improved 2-year survival in extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer patients.

Exhaled breath temperature higher than 34 degrees Celsius (93.2 degrees F) could serve as a cutoff value to help diagnose lung cancer, according to a new study.

A new analysis of the NLST showed that both the benefits and harms of low-dose CT screening are slightly greater among patients older than 65 years.

A new study sheds light on the prevalence of ALK positive non–small-cell lung cancer and suggests the best methods for screening.

The treatment of inoperable stage III non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains a challenge due to high rates of distant metastasis, local recurrence, and toxicity associated with definitive therapy.

Overall lung cancer rates have declined in the United States, but a new study shows how certain subtypes and demographic groups have more complicated trajectories.

Combining the EGFR inhibitors afatinib and cetuximab resulted in clinical responses among advanced lung cancer patients who had previously stopped responding to monotherapy treatment with other EGFR inhibitors.

Brachytherapy did not reduce rates of local recurrence after sublobar resection in patients with non–small-cell lung cancer, according to results of a new study.

A phase III trial of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor inhibitor figitumumab showed no benefit in survival outcomes when added to standard chemotherapy in patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer.

Cisplatin, etoposide, and irinotecan outperformed topotecan as second-line chemotherapy in patients with sensitive relapsed small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a Japanese trial, though there was substantially increased toxicity with the regimen.