Telephone Triage and Early Recognition of Pneumonitis

Panelists discuss how nurse-driven telephone triage works for patients receiving first-line therapy for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The conversation walks through a call about new dyspnea, beginning with the patient's regimen, active listening, and a comparison against documented baseline, then moving to fever, chest pain or pressure, unilateral or bilateral extremity swelling, and home pulse oximetry readings. Panelists describe which clusters warrant emergency services, which warrant a same-day visit, and which can be monitored with a next-day callback. The discussion also covers early recognition of interstitial lung disease and the differential that accompanies it, including infection, disease progression, venous thromboembolism, malignant or pericardial effusion, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation, and radiation pneumonitis. Panelists emphasize sending patients to emergency departments with a written medication list, coordinating with local teams, and calling the next day to confirm the patient is stable.