Predicting Future Treatment Options for Patients With SCLC

Gene G. Finley, MD, medical oncologist at Allegheny Clinic Medical Oncology of Allegheny Health Network, discusses how he envisions the treatment landscape of small cell lung cancer may evolve over the next 5-10 years.

In an interview with Targeted Oncology^TM, Finely notes that there are a number of trials underway, many of which have already been completed, looking at liquid biopsies to detect tumor-related DNA as it reappears in the blood. Some of these studies have already demonstrated the benefit of liquid biopsies and bespoke assays in this space.

It is also predicted that treating patients in an earlier line will derive more benefit compared with waiting until they have a radiographic relapse, and that newer targeted therapies and antibody drug conjugates in development will be useful.

Transcription:

0:08 | In terms of other drugs, when you think about lung cancer generally, non–small cells have become the poster child for targeted therapy. A number of targeted drugs have been attempted in small cell lung cancer and have really fallen flat, as most single-agent chemotherapies have. We also tried using more intensive chemotherapy in the first-line setting and small cell lung cancer, and that was not helpful either.

0:40 | I'm hopeful that some of the newer targeted drugs and some of the antibody drug conjugates that are in development will ultimately be useful. I'm hoping that this irinotecan formulation will be helpful.