Weekly News

Lung Cancer News
Week Ending June 10, 2019

Brigatinib Elicits Responses in ALK+ NSCLC Following Next-Generation TKIs
Brigatinib (Alunbrig) demonstrated promising response rates in patients with ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have progressed on treatment with another next-generation ALK TKI, according to preliminary phase II results presented at the 2019 ASCO Annual Meeting.¹

A cancer stigma killing thousands
The nation’s biggest meeting of cancer specialists unveiled several breakthroughs on Saturday. The horrible news is what’s not improving. Only a minuscule 4% of men and women at high risk of getting lung cancer from smoking go for a CT scan to detect it while it’s curable. That 4% figure has barely budged in a decade. Lung cancer detected before there’s coughing or other symptoms is at least 80% to 90% curable. People who wait until they feel sick have as little as a 10% chance of surviving.

Cancer: New compound boosts chemo, prevents treatment resistance
Researchers may have found a way to stop cancer cells from defending themselves against chemotherapy. In a new mouse study, blocking a DNA repair pathway prevented cancer cells from surviving or becoming resistant to treatment.

Chemo Regimen Boosts Gefitinib in EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer, But at What Cost?
Addition of a pemetrexed-carboplatin chemotherapy regimen to gefitinib led to a survival benefit in patients with EGFR-mutant advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to a phase III study (abstract 9001) presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, held in Chicago. EGFR-directed oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors are the first-line therapy for this population, but resistance occurs within 8 to 12 months, leading to efforts to develop strategies to delay onset of resistance.

Promising Early Results for Preoperative Atezolizumab in Resectable NSCLC
Interim efficacy results of a large, multicenter study of patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with the anti-programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody, atezolizumab, in the neoadjuvant setting showed that nearly 30% of those with PD-L1–positive disease achieved a major pathologic response.

Ways to Improve Care Access for Underserved Lung Cancer Patients
In the U.S. and around the globe, lung cancer is the leading cancer-related cause of death. Across the board, the disease contributes most to new cancer diagnoses, including 12.4 percent of total new cancer cases (Clin Chest Med 2011;32(4):605-644).

Hope for defeating a ‘politically incorrect’ cancer
The nation’s biggest meeting of cancer specialists unveiled several breakthroughs on Saturday. The horrible news is what’s not improving. Only a minuscule 4% of men and women at high risk of getting lung cancer from smoking go for a CT scan to detect it while it’s curable.

New Therapy on Horizon for Rare Lung Cancer Subtype
The highly selective and potent MET inhibitor capmatinib (INC280) showed intriguing signs of clinical efficacy in a rare subtype of patients with non­–small cell lung cancer identified by a MET exon 14 (METex14) skipping mutation, according to findings presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2019 Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

Amgen drug shows high response rate in small lung and colon cancer trial
An experimental Amgen drug that targets a specific genetic mutation significantly reduced tumor size in half of evaluated patients with advanced lung cancer in a small, early-stage trial, researchers said on Monday.

Lurbinectedin induces response in small cell lung cancer
CHICAGO — Lurbinectedin improved overall response rate and survival outcomes for patients with small cell lung cancer, according to findings from the phase 2 BASKET trial presented at ASCO Annual Meeting.

VIDEOS:
Diving Deeper Into the Relationship Between Inflammation and Depression in Lung Cancer
Cancer Network spoke with Daniel C. McFarland, DO, medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting about the relationship between inflammation and depression in lung cancer patients and the potential efficacy of dopamine in treating depression.

Dr. Cascone on Combination Checkpoint Blockade for Early-Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Cancer Network spoke with Tina Cascone, MD, an oncologist and assistant professor of Thoracic/Head & Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, about the combination checkpoint blockade effective in the pre-surgical setting for early-stage non–small-cell lung cancer. The results of the study (abstract 8504) were presented at the 2019 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.