NSCLC (Issue 11)

Howard L. &ldquo;Jack&rdquo; West, MD, thoracic oncologist of Swedish Cancer Institute at Swedish Medical Center, discusses the combination of erlotinib plus bevacizumab (Avastin) as a frontline treatment for patients with unresectable advanced, metastatic, or recurrent&nbsp;<em>EGFR</em>-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Catherine Shu, MD, medical oncologist, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center, discusses two clinical trials exploring the use of bevacizumab (Avastin) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

The majority of patients with non&ndash;small cell lung cancer do not harbor an actionable marker, calling for future research into optimal therapies and combinations for patients with non-driver adenocarcinoma.

The promising clinical efficacy seen with the combination of erlotinib and bevacizumab as a treatment for patients with <em>EGFR</em>-mutant non&ndash;small cell lung cancer warrants widespread consideration.

Raymond Osarogiagbon, MD, medical oncologist, Baptist Memorial Medical Group, discusses the significance of surgery quality in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Several practice-changing developments are on the horizon in subsets of non&ndash;small cell lung cancer.

Targeted therapies have revolutionized the treatment of patients with non&ndash;small cell lung cancer; however, not all patients harbor identifiable driver mutations. Standard treatment options among patients lacking molecular targets include chemotherapy and antiangiogenesis agents.&nbsp;

The pathological response following pre-operative cisplatin, pemetrexed, and bevacizumab treatment may serve as a surrogate marker for post-surgical recurrence-free survival in patients with non-squamous non&ndash;small cell lung cancer.