Summary
Fox Chase Cancer Center highlights advances in NSCLC treatment with immunotherapy and the promise of amivantamab for specific genetic mutations, alongside ongoing SCLC research.
At the Fox Chase Cancer Center, experts are excited about the improvements in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) thanks to immunotherapy. Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that helps the immune system fight cancer, and doctors are learning more about how it works with different genetic changes in cancer cells. They’ve found that it’s really important to test cancer cells for certain markers, like PD-L1, before deciding on the best treatment. Although immunotherapy is really helpful for many patients, it might not be the best first choice for everyone, especially those with certain genetic changes in their cancer cells that don’t respond as well to these treatments.
In another update, doctors talked about a new drug called amivantamab that seems promising for a specific change in lung cancer cells called EGFR exon 20 mutations. Even though this new drug doesn’t work quite as well as some other drugs for different EGFR mutations, it’s still a big step forward. The FDA has approved amivantamab, but doctors are still studying how to make it even better, especially when combined with other medications.
The talks also covered small cell lung cancer (SCLC), which doesn’t get as much attention but is still a big deal. SCLC has some unique biological features that might make it respond differently to immunotherapy. There are different types of SCLC, and doctors are trying to figure out which types might be better treated with immunotherapy. Pulmonologists, who are lung specialists, play a crucial role in diagnosing and managing lung cancer, using cool tools like ultrasound scopes to look inside the lungs. Lastly, for lung cancer that has spread but not too much, doctors are using targeted treatments to control the cancer and help patients feel better without too many side effects.
