In a nutshell This study discussed adoptive immunotherapy in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors concluded that AIT was effective at treating patients with NSCLC and therefore showed potential for future use. Some background Adoptive immunotherapy (AIT) is an emerging treatment for cancer. It involves taking a...
Read More
In a nutshell This study examined whether patients with non-small-cell lung cancer that has spread to multiple sites in the body may benefit from radiation combined with chemotherapy. The authors of this trial concluded that for patients with high tumor volume, high dose radiation with effective chemotherapy could benefit. Some background In...
Read MoreIn a nutshell The authors examined whether the lymphocyte to monocyte ratio (LMR) could predict outcome in patients with late stage EGFR positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). They concluded LMR could be beneficial in predicting outcome for patients with EGFR positive NSCLC patients receiving first-line EGFR-TKIs. Some background Some...
Read More
In a nutshell This trial looked at therapy that activates the immune system to kill cancerous tumors in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-CLC). The authors concluded pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is tolerable and a promising treatment for patients with heavily treated ES-SCLC. Some background Extensive-stage small cell lung...
Read More
In a nutshell This meta-analysis looks at the safety and effectiveness of a new type of treatment called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The authors concluded that ICIs are safe and effective treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Some background The emergence of targeted therapy has been beneficial...
Read More
In a nutshell This review summarizes the most effective treatments for small cell lung cancer, based on recent clinical trial data. Some background There are two types of small-cell lung cancer. Limited stage (LS-SCLC) is cancer that is confined to a single area. Extensive stage (ES-SCLC) has spread past a single area. Recommendations for treatment of...
Read More
You may not know this but you can get warnings from the FDA on problems with prescription medications and over-the-counter drugs. For example, on August 11, a FDA News Release issued this warning about over-the-counter liquid vitamins that are given to young children and those who cannot swallow pills. “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is...
Read More
In a nutshell This trial looked at the effectiveness and safety of an immunotherapy drug, atezolizumab (Tecentriq). The authors concluded that this drug is effective and safe to treat patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer who have high levels of the PD-L1 protein. Some background Immunotherapy is a fairly new type of cancer treatment....
Read More
In a nutshell This article presents updated guidelines on treating non-small cell lung cancer patients with adjuvant (following surgery) chemotherapy or radiation. The authors provide recommendations on when to use adjuvant therapy based primarily on disease stage. Some background Cancer patients who have tumors removed by surgery often undergo...
Read MoreIn a nutshell This trial looked at the effectiveness of the immunotherapy nivolumab (Opdivo) for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The authors concluded that nivolumab resulted in similar survival rates compared to chemotherapy. They did however state that it was safer in terms of side effects. Some background Chemotherapy...
Read More
In a nutshell This meta-analysis summarizes studies that looked at the effectiveness of erlotinib in combination with chemotherapy. This review is specific for patients with advanced NSCLC. The authors concluded that this combination is effective for NSCLC patients who have never smoked and who have EGFR mutations. Some background Lung cancer is...
Read More
In a nutshell This trial examined a new therapy, brigatinib (Alunbrig), in treating patients with ALK-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that has progressed passed initial treatments. The authors concluded that brigatinib was safe and effective at treating this type of cancer. Some background One type of NSCLC is caused by genetic...
Read More
