Dr. Jack West, Swedish Cancer Institute, raises the question of whether to use immune checkpoint inhibitors as first-line treatment of lung cancer, alone or in combination with chemotherapy.

Dr. Jack West, Swedish Cancer Institute, reviews the choices for a first-line chemotherapy regimen based on a squamous histology.

Dr. Jared Weiss, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, evaluates a variety of particular systemic treatment agents for possible use in elderly patients.

HER2 inhibitors have been successfully used to combat breast cancer, but research has shown that a small percentage of lung cancer patients have a HER2 mutation as well. Dr. Leena Gandhi talks about the role that HER2 drugs may play to fight lung cancer.

[powerpress]

It's been over two years since I reported the details from a positive trial for Abraxane (albumin-bound paclitaxel) as a weekly treatment combined with carboplatin and compared with standard "solvent-based" Taxol (paclitaxel) along with carboplatin.  While positive for showing a 8% difference in response rate, which was the primary endpoint, it didn't show a significant difference in overall survival (OS), as revealed in the

Three months ago, I discussed the press release from Abraxis reporting that the phase III trial of carbo/Abraxane (nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel) vs. carbo/taxol (paclitaxel) showed a significant benefit for higher response rate in the Abraxane arm. Carboplatin was given one day every three weeks, as was taxol, and Abraxane was given every week (no break).

In addition to developing new agents or refining which patients should or shouldn't be given to particular patients, another way to potentially gain ground in fighting cancer is to improve the tolerability of a standard treatment in a way that either makes it more effective or reduces side effects, thereby making it possible to give higher doses.