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.
Ruqin Chen, MB, of the Mayo Clinic Florida, discusses early study findings that show molecular profiling with NF1, CD79a, and AKT3 could potentially improve prediction of progression-free survival in patients with lung cancer who are receiving immunotherapy.
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.
Shraddha M. Dalwadi, MD, MBA, of Baylor College of Medicine, discusses the nearly 12% of potentially curable patients with stage I NSCLC who do not receive treatment, the various socioeconomic reasons why, and how some patients may benefit from minimally invasive therapies (Abstract 127).
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.
Leora Horn, MD, of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, discusses the progress made treating extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, improvements in progression-free and overall survival, and the fact that it’s still difficult to determine which patients will benefit most from immunotherapy.
