Podcast of Q&A Portion from Molecular Markers Webinar with Dr. Pennell

   Here’s the podcast of the Q&A portion of the excellent webinar with Dr. Pennell on Molecular Markers in Management of NSCLC. 
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Loading the Dice: Comparative Trials of EGFR Inhibitors in Patients with EGFR Mutations (or, When Bad Trials Happen to Good People)

The IPASS trial that randomized Asian never-smoking or light previously smoking patients with previously untreated advanced NSCLC to either standard chemo or the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR TKI)  inhibitor Iressa (gefitinib) is widely considered among the most important and standard-changing trials of the last few years in the field of lung [...]

Molecular Markers from the INTEREST Trial: Chemo and EGFR Inhibitor Therapy Still Remarkably Equivalent

Oncologists often have their own ideas about how effective or ineffective a targeted therapy like an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) (Tarceva (erlotinib) or Iressa (gefitinib)) is compared with standard chemotherapy options.   We’ve seen a lot of new information emerge in the field over the last few years, and we now have evidence that [...]

Dr. Pennell on Emerging Molecular Markers in NSCLC Management: Podcast Now Available

   We know that many people interested in the topics we discuss in our webinars may not be able to attend the live programs, but we’re committed to offering our content to people as easily as possible.   Accordingly, here is the podcast version of Dr. Pennell’s very well received presentation on a range of molecular [...]

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Round Table Case-Based Discussion — Drs. Laskin and Sandler on Molecular Testing in a Never-Smoker

Here is the first podcast of what we plan will be an ongoing series of round table discussions with cancer experts about real case scenarios and how we make decisions in practice.  My guests for the discussion are Drs. Janessa Laskin, medical oncologist from British Columbia Cancer Agency in Vancouver, BC, and Alan Sandler, medical [...]

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A new tyrosine kinase inhibitor to overcome resistance to T790M?

   LM is a 73 year old patient of mine. She typifies the idea of functional age over chronologic age —physiologically, she’s more like a 50 year-old and remains extremely active despite having had lung cancer since the spring of 2006. The targeted therapy Tarceva (erlotinib) was her first treatment, which worked for over two [...]

Evidence of the Impact of Environmental Tobacco Smoke in Never-Smokers: Correlations with EGFR Mutations

It seems obvious: environmental tobacco smoke (ETS)/passive smoke exposure from being around smokers, can be harmful and may cause cancer in never-smokers.  A new paper in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Lee and colleagues from Korea actually offers some evidence that highlights this, showing that never-smokers in Korea were less likely to have an [...]

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

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 [...]

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EGFR Mutations in African American Patients: What Little We Know

In the last several years we have seen an explosion in the knowledge and understanding of the molecular basis of cancer behavior.  The identification of EGFR mutations, and their utilization in predicting response and survival in patients with untreated advanced lung cancer, provides lung cancer oncologists with the optimism that we may truly be able to offer [...]

Iressa vs. Chemo in First Line Treatment of Korean Never-Smokers: The First-SIGNAL Trial

I would consider the recently published IPASS trial that compared Iressa (gefitinib) to standard chemo of carbo/taxol (paclitaxel) to be an extremely influential trial in lung cancer that has essentially ushered in a new era of molecularly-defined guidance of our treatment for many patients with advanced NSCLC, and we can expect that this is [...]