Lung Cancer

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded the approved use for Gilotrif (afatinib). The drug can now be used to treat patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have uncommon EGFR alterations in L861Q, G719X and/or S768I.

A four-drug combination, including Tecentriq (atezolizumab), Avastin (bevacizumab), carboplatin and paclitaxel, delayed progression or death by 38 percent in patients with advanced non-squamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), compared to those who were treated with Avastin alone.

Although ROS1 mutations are quite rare in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), testing for the mutation in all who have the disease is important, as it can play a vital role in determining a treatment plan.

Imfinzi (durvalumab), a PD-L1 inhibitor, is being reviewed for a supplemental biologics license application (sBLA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of patients with stage 3, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The sBLA is in light of positive progression-free survival (PFS) results from the phase 3 PACIFIC trial.

Frontline Tagrisso (osimertinib) was granted a priority review to a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors have EGFR mutations (exon 19 deletions or exon 21 [L858R] substitution mutations).

There has been a “renaissance” in the treatment strategies of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have EGFR-mutation–positive disease, Edward S. Kim, M.D.

Clinical trials of combination immunotherapy treatments are showing impressive overall survival rates.

Alecensa (alectinib) was granted approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with ALK-positive metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to Genentech (Roche), the manufacturer of the second-generation ALK inhibitor.

More patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) should be evaluated and referred to clinical trials, especially those who may have molecular abnormalities, says Victoria M. Villaflor, M.D.