“Better to Have Choices”: How New Data Transform EGFR-Mutated NSCLC Care
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Release Date: 03/29/2024
To Help Oncologists’ Burnout, Should Primary Care Take on More Burden?
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Resilience Task Force recently released recommendations intended to reduce burnout in oncology worldwide. One of the task force’s members, Konstantinos Kamposioras, MD, PhD, a consultant in medical oncology at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester in the United Kingdom, explains to Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, how those recommendations came to be and what institutions should do to help care for cancer care providers. They discuss...
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Choosing Between an “Old Friend” and New Ones in EGFR-Mutated Metastatic NSCLC
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
When it comes to the treatment of EGFR-mutated metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), osimertinib (Tagrisso) is an “old friend,” says Kamya Sankar, MD, assistant professor and co–medical director of the Thoracic Disease Research Group at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Recent approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have introduced several “new friends,” in the form of amivantamab (Rybrevant) and lazertinib (Lazcluze). Dr. Sankar talks with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology also at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center,...
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rivatization of Cancer Clinical Research Raises Concerns for Practice
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
“Cancer clinical research has been largely privatized,” explains Joseph Unger, PhD, MS, associate professor in the cancer prevention program at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle. Dr. Unger and colleagues recently assessed patient enrollment in industry-sponsored and federally sponsored clinical trials. They found an 8:1 ratio favoring participation in research backed by industry. This raises significant concerns, he tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Unger explains what he...
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What 3 Big Trials Mean for Breast Cancer Practice
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Treatment approaches for patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer have rapidly evolved, thanks in part to data from three key studies. , associate professor at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center in Ann Arbor, explains how findings from the , , and clinical trials are influencing decision-making for these patients. She and , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss the evolving role of immunotherapy and how to choose between CDK4/6 inhibitors, given the recent U.S. Food...
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“Confusing for All of Us”: Questions Arise Over ADCs, HER2 in Metastatic Breast Cancer
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Approvals of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for metastatic breast cancer have introduced complex questions about HER2 expression. “It’s certainly been a changing landscape, which has been confusing for all of us,” explains , director of the clinical trials office, chief clinical research officer, and associate director for clinical sciences at Yale Cancer Center in New Haven, Connecticut. He and , the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles, discuss how oncologists should best approach HER2 testing, ADC sequencing, and...
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"Where Do We Go From Here?" Targeted Therapies Lead to Challenging Choices in Breast Cancer
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Newly approved targeted therapies for patients with advanced hormone receptor (HR)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer are changing care. “We have an abundance of opportunities, but challenges with having to choose the right opportunity at the right time,” says Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Figlin discusses how to navigate new options with Manali Bhave, MD, a breast medical oncologist and assistant professor at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. Dr. Bhave stresses that...
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After Practice Change in Unresectable Stage III NSCLC, Questions Remain
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Data on the use of durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy transformed the standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). “This is a real practice-changing observation from the PACIFIC trial,” said Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He recently spoke with Meghan Mooradian, MD, an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, about her team’s recent research assessing the protocol established by the PACIFIC study. “We really are hoping for a cure,”...
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What "Incredibly Dramatic" Data on Osimertinib in NSCLC Mean for Practice
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Results of the phase 3 LAURA clinical trial, presented at the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, showed that osimertinib significantly improves progression-free survival in patients with unresectable stage III EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after chemoradiotherapy. “The benefits of osimertinib in this patient population when compared to placebo are just incredibly dramatic,” noted Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He spoke with lead study author Suresh S....
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“Smart Bombs” Upend Breast Cancer Care: What Oncologists May Not Know About Antibody-Drug Conjugates
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
“I think the antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) for physicians, and certainly patients too, are a little bit tough to wrap your head around,” says Erika P. Hamilton, MD, the director of breast cancer and gynecologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville. She discusses how TROP2-targeting ADCs currently fit into practice with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. From how to “choose the right patient for the right treatment at the right time” to important toxicity concerns,...
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Oncology Must Do More for Long-Term Cancer Survivors, Expert Says
Oncology News Central Peer-Spectives
Various survivorship guidelines for pediatric patients have been established, but “such guidelines do not exist in the adult world,” says Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Cancer Outcomes and Survivorship and the Gay and Bew White Endowed Professor in Pediatric Oncology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. With the number of adult cancer survivors rapidly rising, the time is now for major oncology societies to help create long-term health recommendations, she tells Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai...
info_outlineGiven recent data, how should oncologists choose a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) in patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and when should chemotherapy be introduced? “It’s better to have choices than not,” explains Paul Bunn, MD, the Dudley Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Colorado in Aurora. Dr. Bunn discusses how recent trials influence treatment decisions in NSCLC with Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Bunn stresses why molecular testing is so crucial and previews what additional findings are likely to further change practice in patients with EGFR-mutated NSCLC.