Dr. George Simon on Individualizing Treatment Recommendations in Advanced NSCLC using Molecular Factors

December 20, 2009 - 7:27 am email to a friend

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Dr West

Dr. George Simon, medical oncologist and Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, has been kind enough to sit down for an interview with me earlier this year, which was made into a podcast several months ago. More recently, he participated in our NSCLC Patient Education, sponsored by OSI Pharmaceuticals and Swedish Cancer Institute, where asked him to speak on molecular factors that are emerging to help us individualize our treatment recommendations for advanced NSCLC. Much of his work over the last few years has been on proteins like ERCC1, RRM1, and others that may allow us to hone our treatment plans with chemotherapy, and he also has a significant interest in molecular markers that are emerging as increasingly relevant with targeted therapies like EGFR inhibitors.

His brief introduction to the field is included here, with the audio and video versions of the podcast, as well as the accompanying set of figures and the transcript from his presentation.

simon-individualizing-rx-adv-nsclc-molec-factors-audio-podcast

simon-individualizing-rx-adv-nsclc-molec-factors-figs

simon-individualizing-rx-adv-nsclc-molec-factors-transcript

Although this work with molecular factors for selecting optimal chemotherapy isn’t at the point yet where I or many of the other faculty members here would be inclined to use it routinely off protocol, I do think it’s very promising work that could lead to refinements in how we can achieve better outcomes with our patients over the next few years even with the tools we have available today. And the important prospective trials are underway that could lead to changes in how we approach chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC in the near future.

I hope it’s helpful. Our next podcast, which we’ll aim to put out just before Christmas, will finish out the program from the NSCLC Patient Education Forum and will feature Dr. Julie Brahmer on Treatment after First Line for Advanced NSCLC: What Drugs and When?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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