April 18th 2024
The FDA has approved alectinib for the adjuvant treatment of patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer with tumors that are least 4 cm or node positive, as detected by an FDA-approved test.
Equalizing Inequities™ in Multiple Myeloma Care: Shining a Light on Current Barriers and Opportunities for Improved Outcomes
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Breaking Down Biomarkers in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case-Based Discussion for the Oncology Nurse
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Go To PER in Chicago
May 31, 2024 - June 2, 2024
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The Top 10 Oncogenic Drivers in NSCLC for 2023: What You Need to Know on Tumor Testing, Targets, and Treatment Strategies to Move the Field Forward
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Expanding the Armamentarium of Actionable Mutations in NSCLC: Uncovering the Potential of CEACAM5 as a Therapeutic Target
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Pathology Implications for CEACAM5 as a Therapeutic Target in Advanced NSCLC
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Medical Crossfire®: What Are Effective Strategies for Onco-Nurses to Improve Outcomes in Patients with Small Cell Lung Cancer?
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Virtual Show Me the Data™: How HER2, HER3, and TROP2 Targeted Strategies Will Impact Evolving Paradigms in NSCLC
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42nd Annual CFS®: Innovative Cancer Therapy for Tomorrow®
November 13-15, 2024
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How CEACAM5 Expression Can Be Measured and Leveraged in NSCLC Care: Current Developments & Future Therapeutic Opportunities
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Medical Crossfire®: Where Are We in the World of ADCs? From HER2 to CEACAM5, TROP2, HER3, CDH6, B7H3, c-MET and Beyond!
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Community Oncology Connections™: Overcoming Barriers to Testing, Trial Access, and Equitable Care in Cancer
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22nd Annual Winter Lung Cancer Conference®
January 31, 2025 - February 2, 2025
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Dialogues With the Surgeon on Integration of Systemic Therapies in Perioperative Settings for NSCLC: Looking at EGFR, ALK, IO, and Beyond…
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Community Practice Connections™: 5th Annual Precision Medicine Symposium – An Illustrated Tumor Board
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New Directions for Photodynamic Therapy
June 1st 1998BUFFALO, NY--In January 1998, the Food and Drug Administration approved photodynamic therapy (PDT) using the sensitizer porfimer sodium (Photofrin) for the treatment of early-stage lung cancer. PDT was originally approved in 1995 for the palliative treatment of obstructive esophageal cancer.
ODAC Recommends Approval of Two New Taxol Indications
April 1st 1998BETHESDA, Md--Bristol-Myers Squibb went 2-for-2 before the FDA’s Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC). The panel recommended that the FDA approve injectable Taxol (pacli-taxel), in combination with cisplatin (Platinol), for both the first-line treatment of ovarian cancer and for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in patients who are not candidates for potentially curative surgery and/or radiation therapy.
New Report Confirms Radon Contributes to Lung Cancer Deaths
April 1st 1998WASHINGTON--Radon contributes to a significant number of lung cancer deaths each year, perhaps as many as 12% of those in the United States, a new National Research Council (NRC) report confirms. The threat is greatest for smokers, and reducing radon levels in all homes below the current recommended guideline could prevent about one-third of the lung cancer deaths associated with radon exposure.
Medicare Covers Lung Cancer PET Scans
March 1st 1998WASHINGTON--Medicare officials have expanded coverage for positron emission tomography (PET) scans to include their use in assessing lung cancer. Effective Jan. 1, the new coverage allows the use of PET in Medicare patients to determine the type of lung cancer (characterization of single lung nodules) or to do initial staging. Previously, Medicare limited PET coverage to perfusion rate studies in the heart.
Biomarker Predicts Development of Lung Cancer
March 1st 1998WASHINGTON--One key element to increasing survivorship among lung cancer patients lies in finding ways to detect the disease early, and recent results in the quest for a preclinical biomarker for the malignancy offer great promise, a National Cancer Institute scientist told a Capital Hill briefing.
Political Action Needed to Counter Growing Lung Cancer Threat to Women
March 1st 1998Women must make lung cancer as hot and as female a public issue as they have made breast cancer, urged a cancer expert speaking at the 1997 Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved, and Cancer in Washington, DC. Five years from now, twice as many women will die of lung cancer than of breast cancer, warned Paul Bunn, Jr., md, Grohne/Stapp Chair in Cancer Research and director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center.
Would Oncologists Want Chemotherapy If They Had Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer?
March 1st 1998In 1985, a survey found that only about one-third of physicians and oncology nurses would have consented to chemotherapy for non-small-cell lung cancer. In response to statements made at a recent American Society of Oncology (ASCO) Board of Directors meeting questioning whether these data are still valid, Dr. Smith and colleagues conducted a new survey of oncologists attending a 1997 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) annual meeting. The results of that survey are summarized and analyzed.
Overview of Economic Analysis of Le Chevalier Vinorelbine Study
March 1st 1998The costs and relative cost-effectiveness of different treatments for common illnesses are an increasing concern. New treatments for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are having an impact. However, these treatments vary markedly in their direct financial costs, toxicity, and quality-of-life profiles. Direct comparisons between most combination regimens are not yet completed. Vinorelbine (Navelbine) is the first new agent approved in the United States for the treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer in more than a decade. We previously reported results of a post-hoc economic analysis that compared the anticipated cost-effectiveness of three regimens used to treat non-small-cell lung cancer (vinorelbine alone versus vinorelbine plus cisplatin [Platinol] versus vindesine plus cisplatin, the assumed standard treatment in Europe). Results showed that vinorelbine plus cisplatin was the most effective regimen. Using vinorelbine alone as a baseline, vinorelbine plus cisplatin added 56 days of life at an additional cost of $2,700, resulting in a cost-effectiveness ratio of $17,700 per year of life gained. Similarly, vindesine plus cisplatin added 19 days of life at a cost of $1,150, or $22,100 per year of life gained. Compared to vindesine plus cisplatin, vinorelbine plus cisplatin added 37 days of life at a cost of $1,570, or $15,500 per year of life gained. We conclude that the incremental cost-effectiveness of the vinorelbine plus cisplatin regimen was less than most commonly accepted medical interventions. If vinorelbine is preferred because of its favorable toxicity profile, the additional effectiveness of cisplatin added substantial efficacy at an acceptable cost.[ONCOLOGY(Suppl 4):14-17, 1998]
Cost-Effectiveness of Vinorelbine Alone or Vinorelbine Plus Cisplatin for Stage IV NSCLC
March 1st 1998Le Chevalier and colleagues have reported results of a randomized controlled clinical trial comparing vinorelbine alone, versus vinorelbine combined with cisplatin, versus standard treatment consisting of vindesine and cisplatin in the treatment of patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Data on survival in the three study arms and estimates of the resources used to treat these patients were extracted from the publication and inserted into Statistics Canada’s POpulation HEalth Model (POHEM).
Photofrin Approved for Early-Stage Lung Cancer
February 1st 1998BUFFALO, NY-Photofrin (porfi-mer sodium), a photosensitizer used in photodynamic therapy (PDT), has received FDA approval for use in early-stage microinvasive lung cancer. The agent, manufactured by QLT Photo-Therapeutics, was approved in 1995 for palliative use in esophageal cancer.
Docetaxel as Second-Line Therapy in Advanced NSCLC
February 1st 1998MELVILLE, NY-Docetaxel (Taxo-tere) is becoming increasingly important for the second-line treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), said Jeffrey Crawford, MD, director of Clinical Research, Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duke University.
Beyond Survival: Economic Analyses of Chemotherapy in Advanced, Inoperable NSCLC
February 1st 1998Research shows that chemotherapy for inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) improves survival. The economic implications of this treatment choice may be substantial. This paper reviews studies examining the cost-
Beyond Survival: Economic Analyses of Chemotherapy in Advanced, Inoperable NSCLC
February 1st 1998Research shows that chemotherapy for inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) improves survival. The economic implications of this treatment choice may be substantial. This paper reviews studies examining the cost-
Beyond Survival: Economic Analyses of Chemotherapy in Advanced, Inoperable NSCLC
February 1st 1998Research shows that chemotherapy for inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) improves survival. The economic implications of this treatment choice may be substantial. This paper reviews studies examining the cost-
Recent Advances With Chemotherapy for NSCLC: The ECOG Experience
January 2nd 1998Management of disseminated non-small-cell lung cancer has changed over the past 10 years. Newer agents, such as vinorelbine (Navelbine) and paclitaxel (Taxol), have been shown to modestly improve survival in patients with
Paclitaxel, Carboplatin, and Radiation Therapy for Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
January 2nd 1998Preclinically, the taxanes appear to potentiate radiation more effectively than do the platinum compounds. In our phase I trial (LUN-17) in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, we defined the maximum tolerated
Paclitaxel, Carboplatin, and Extended-Schedule Oral Etoposide for Small-Cell Lung Cancer
January 2nd 1998We evaluated the feasibility and efficacy of combination paclitaxel (Taxol) (via 1-hour infusion), carboplatin (Paraplatin), and oral etoposide (VePesid) in the first-line treatment of patients with small-cell lung cancer.
Paclitaxel/Carboplatin in the Treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
January 2nd 1998Chemotherapeutic intervention in advanced and metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has changed over the past 2 decades. The improvements offered by cisplatin (Platinol)-based regimens, though significant in
The Role of Carboplatin in the Treatment of Small-Cell Lung Cancer
January 2nd 1998Lung cancer is the leading cause of death due to cancer in the United States, and approximately 178,100 new cases were estimated to occur last year. Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for approximately 17% to 25% of all lung cancers. Due to its aggressive nature and rapid proliferation rate, small-cell lung cancer is usually widespread at diagnosis. Therefore, chemotherapy is the cornerstone of therapy for this disease. Cisplatin (Platinol) is an active chemotherapeutic agent used to treat small-cell lung cancer, but its toxicity, including nausea and vomiting, nephrotoxicity, neurotoxicity, and ototoxicity, has led to the investigation of combination regimens with different toxicity profiles. Carboplatin (Paraplatin), a derivative of cisplatin, has far less nonhematologic toxicity, although myelosuppression may be slightly greater than that observed with cisplatin. The reduced toxicity and equivalent efficacy of carboplatin have resulted in the increased use of carboplatin-based regimens to treat small-cell lung cancer. Phase I and II trials of carboplatin as single-agent treatment for small-cell lung cancer resulted in overall response rates of approximately 60% for previously untreated patients and 17% for those who had received prior therapy. New combination chemotherapy regimens that include carboplatin may improve survival in patients with small-cell lung cancer and potentially cure those patients with limited disease. Further investigation of carboplatin and other new agents is warranted.[ONCOLOGY 12(Suppl 2):36-43, 1998]
Issues in Nonoperative Management of Locally Advanced Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
January 2nd 1998The challenge for oncologists treating patients with stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is to optimize a treatment strategy using nonsurgical therapies. The recognition that chemotherapy response rates for patients
Future Directions in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Continuing Perspective
January 2nd 1998Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will increasingly come under better control as the current approaches to therapy are more broadly employed and as new therapies are deployed against recently elucidated molecular
Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation in Small-Cell Lung Cancer: Is It Ever Indicated?
January 2nd 1998Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is being reintroduced into multimodality treatment protocols of patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The history of its use brings interesting insights into clinical evaluations of treatment strategies and design of relevant and informative trials. The critical issues of effectiveness and overall health gains of prophylactic cranial irradiation have been addressed in a series of recently completed clinical trials. These trials tested prophylactic cranial irradiation in small-cell lung cancer patients achieving good response to induction therapy and confirmed the ability of standard prophylactic cranial irradiation schedules to significantly reduce the lifetime risk of brain metastases. A subset of these trials evaluated neurotoxicity in a formal and prospective manner. No sustained or significant detriment in neuropsychometric function could be linked to the use of prophylactic cranial irradiation. In addition, all the large trials have shown a consistent survival advantage in favor of the prophylactic cranial irradiation arm. None of the individual sample sizes were large enough to statistically confirm this survival benefit, but a meta-analysis is in progress and will report on this aspect of evidence shortly. Issues that remain to be answered are the optimal dose and schedule of prophylactic cranial irradiation as well as the timing of this administration. These questions form the nucleus of the next generation of collaborative trials that are being designed.[ONCOLOGY 12(Suppl 2):19-24, 1998]
Continuing Controversies in Staging NSCLC: An Analysis of the Revised 1997 Staging System
January 2nd 1998The 1997 revision of the lung cancer staging system has added very little to disease staging, and many changes have been totally unnecessary. Before the next revision of the staging system, anticipated in the year 2007, a