Mark K. Ferguson, MD, of the University of Chicago Hospital, discusses frailty and loss of muscle tissue, which are common among patients with lung cancer. These conditions are linked with decreased survival as well as increased surgical complications, chemotherapy toxicity, and cost of care.
Aaron S. Mansfield, MD, of the Mayo Clinic, summarizes a session he moderated on rare thoracic cancers such as mesothelioma and thymic epithelial tumors, as well as novel imaging and treatments in neuroendocrine tumors.
Jing Zeng, MD, of the University of Washington, discusses upstaging disease from stage III to stage IV, which can occur with repeat PET and/or CT scans for patients with locally advanced NSCLC, and the need for clinicians to stage disease properly to ensure appropriate treatment.
Susan Y. Wu, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, discusses how patient exposure to treatment guidelines improved smoking cessation counseling and the use of molecular testing, and decreased the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage disease (Abstract 5).
Martin Edelman, MD, of Fox Chase Cancer Center, discusses the limited retrospective data that indicate some patients with cancer and autoimmune disease (such as lupus or ulcerative colitis) can safely receive immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors.
Heather A. Wakelee, MD, of Stanford University, discusses the most recent FDA-approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors that target EGFR and ALK mutations, how these agents fit into the treatment landscape, and the rapidly evolving field of TKI resistance.
