Lung Cancer

Geneva, Switzerland—A study with ­real-world data showed that almost 1 in 4 (24%) patients with advanced lung cancer are not receiving appropriate testing for EGFR mutations, even though guidelines recommend this genetic test to guide the selection of the most appropriate therapy.

Toronto, Canada—Survival is not improved with routine surveillance using computed tomography (CT) versus chest x-ray in patients who have undergone resection for stage I non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to the results of a new analysis presented at the 2014 American Association for Thoracic Surgery meeting.

San Francisco, CA—The use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), also called stereotactic radiotherapy or radiosurgery, is an effective option for elderly patients with cancer who are inoperable or who decline surgery, but its safety and efficacy compared with surgery have not been investigated.

Chicago, IL—When added to chemotherapy (ie, docetaxel), the new monoclonal antibody ramucirumab improved overall survival (OS) compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with stage IV non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to phase 3 trial results presented at the 2014 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.

Chicago, IL— Necitumumab, a human immunoglobulin G1 anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody, added to standard chemotherapy significantly improved survival compared with chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment of patients with stage IV non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of squamous histology.

Hollywood, FL—Driver mutations, most frequently KRAS and EGFR, account for approximately 50% of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and this recognition is shifting the NSCLC treatment paradigm toward targeted therapy when possible, said Leora Horn, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/ Oncology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, at the 2014 National Comprehensive Cancer Network Conference.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is recommending that individuals aged >55 years who have a history of heavy smoking be screened annually for lung cancer.

Boston, MA—Patients with ALK-positive non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) continued with crizotinib therapy more than twice as long when drug-resistant lesions were managed with local ablation, as shown by the results of a small clinical trial presented at the 2012 American Society for Radiation Oncology meeting.