LUNG CANCER

BGB-283, a novel agent that targets <em>RAS/RAF</em>-mutated tumors, demonstrated activity across a variety of tumor types, according to the results of a preliminary clinical evaluation presented at the 2017 AACR Annual Meeting.

According to 5-year follow-up data&nbsp;from the CA209-003 study, long-term survival in patients with metastatic non&ndash;small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who received the immune checkpoint inhibitor nivolumab (Opdivo) has proven to be much higher than expected, with 16% of patients surviving after 5 years.

Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine, chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital, discusses an ongoing trial at Yale Cancer Center exploring the use of positive messaging in smoking cessation counseling for lung cancer during the AACR Annual Meeting.

The European Union has approved the combination of dabrafenib and trametinib for patients with <em>BRAF</em> V600-positive advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.&nbsp;

Osimertinib (Tagrisso) has been granted a full approval as a treatment for patients with metastatic EGFR T790M mutation-positive non&ndash;small cell lung cancer following prior treatment with an EGFR TKI.

Preliminary results from an ongoing phase I study have revealed the potential of a novel small-molecule inhibitor in 3 combinations for patients with advanced cancers.

Thomas J. Lynch Jr, MD, has been appointed the executive vice president and chief scientific officer for Bristol-Myers Squibb, effective March 16, 2017. He will succeed Francis Cuss, MB BChir, who will be retiring from the company. Lynch will simultaneously step down from the Board of Directors at Bristol-Myers Squibb, effective March 15, 2017.

Scott J. Swanson, MD, co-director of Minimally Invasive Surgery and chief surgical officer at Brigham and Women&rsquo;s Hospital, professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, discusses surgical choices for patients with multifocal lung cancer.

This manuscript focuses on the latest clinical developments of newer generation selective CDK inhibitors in lung cancer.

Alectinib has been approved by the European Commission as a treatment for patients with metastatic ALK-positive non&ndash;small cell lung cancer following progression on crizotinib.

Ceritinib has been granted a priority review by the FDA as a first-line treatment for patients with <em>ALK</em>-positive, metastatic NSCLC.

Benjamin Levy, MD, has been named clinical director of medical oncology and medical director of thoracic oncology for the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center at Sibley Memorial Hospital.

Joel Neal, MD, PhD, discusses how recent immunotherapy advances are transitioning the field of NSCLC and how the impact of molecular testing continues to shape treatment decisions.

Rovalpituzumab tesirine, a DLL3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate, demonstrated encouraging single-agent antitumor activity with a manageable safety profile in the treatment of patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer.

Results of an initial study of tumors from patients with lung cancer or head and neck cancer suggest that acquired resistance to checkpoint inhibitors may be due to the elimination of certain genetic mutations needed to enable the immune system to recognize and attack malignant cells.

Rosalyn Juergens, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Oncology, Division of Medical Oncology, McMaster University, discusses a clinical trial investigating chemotherapy with durvalumab and tremelimumab in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Mohammad Jahanzeb, MD,&nbsp;discusses why researchers must work on identifying targetable mutations in these non-driver adenocarcinomas and shares his insight on other trends and challenges in the field.

H. Jack West, MD,&nbsp;discusses the benefits of EGFR TKIs in NSCLC, challenges with determining optimal sequencing, and potential combinations on the horizon.

Hatim Husain, MD, assistant professor of Hematology-Oncology at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, discusses a study monitoring the emergence of<em> T790M </em>in <em>EGFR</em>-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The indication for pembrolizumab has been expanded by the European Commission to include the frontline treatment of patients with metastatic non&ndash;small cell lung cancer that expresses PD-L1 on &ge;50% of cells and does not harbor an EGFR or ALK mutation.

Heather Wakelee, MD, discusses T790M mutation detection among different platforms in an analysis from the TIGER-X trial

Two separate delays have been announced by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca in the development of PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitor combinations as first-line therapies for patients with advanced or metastatic non&ndash;small cell lung cancer.

A review of data regarding PD-L1 expression as a predictive biomarker of response to checkpoint inhibition in lung cancer.&nbsp;

Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, discusses the next steps with pembrolizumab in non-small cell lung cancer following its FDA approval, including combination regimens. &nbsp;

Martin J. Edelman, MD, has joined Fox Chase Cancer Center as chair of the Department of Hematology/Oncology and deputy cancer center director for clinical research.

Claire Verschraegen, MD, discusses the design and findings of an early trial of avelumab and the future potential for the PD-L1 inhibitor in lung cancer.

Nicolas Girard, MD, discusses how to maximize the clinical benefit of&nbsp;crizitonib (Xalkori) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).&nbsp;

A supplemental biologics license application for pembrolizumab in combination with pemetrexed plus carboplatin has been granted priority review by the FDA as a treatment for patients with metastatic or advanced non-squamous non&ndash;small cell lung cancer without <em>EGFR</em> or <em>ALK</em> mutations and regardless of PD-L1 expression.

Mark G. Kris, MD,&nbsp;shares his thoughts on the prominent advancements in the field of lung cancer, how liquid biopsies are shaping treatment decisions, and his predictions for the years ahead.

PD-L1 expression is starting to be part of the standard of care in determining the appropriate treatment plan for newly diagnosed non-small cell lung cancer. However, testing for the biomarker is not always necessary for patients who have relapsed or who have small cell lung cancer.