There is no question that the recognition of an activating mutation in the gene for the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has revolutionized our understanding of why some patients with advanced/metastatic NSCLC develop a profound benefit from the class of oral EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

The initial or "first line" management of advanced NSCLC has evolved quite a bit over the past 10 years, in that time moving from a much more uniform approach of very similar treatment for just about everyone to a revised approach that is far more individualized. First, we assess key issues like the subtype of NSCLC, focusing largely on whether it is squamous cell or non-squamous NSCLC, because treatment tends to diverge very early based on this factor.

The third and final part of my conversation with Drs. Tom Hensing from North Shore Health System in Chicago and David Jackman from Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston covered a presentation of an Asian never-smoking woman with an advanced lung adenocarcinoma, the demographic picture most closely associated with potentially but not necessarily having an EGFR mutation or ALK rearrangement.

The second part of my conversation with Drs. Tom Hensing from North Shore Health System in Chicago and David Jackman from Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston covered a case of a relatively young, generally healthy woman diagnosed with a lung adenocarcinoma that turned out to be stage IV.

In my last post, I described the novel oral agent PF299804 (PF299), an irreversible "pan-HER" inhibitor not only of the epidermal growth factor receptor but of other members of the human epithelial growth factor receptor (HER) family.

We've received several questions about agents that might be helpful for patients who have already responded to inhibitors of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) like Tarceva (erlotinib) and Iressa (gefitinib) and then demonstrate progression. These latter agents are reversible inhibitors of of the tyrosine kinase domain (signalling portion inside the cell) of the EGFR molecule, meaning that they attach to and periodically detach from the receptor.

Here's the first of a series of posts on key presentations on lung cancer from ASCO 2010, as reviewed by myself and Dr. Nate Pennell of our faculty here several weeks ago. The first topic we covered was the very interesting if troubling Canadian BR.19 trial of post-operative Iressa (gefitinib) vs. placebo, as summarized by Dr. Pennell. Dr.

Here is the continuation of my conversation with Dr. Nasser Hanna, lung cancer expert at Indiana University and all-around good guy (not part of his official title).

It's been a few months since I sat down with my friend, Dr. Nasser Hanna, a great lung cancer expert from Indiana University, and also a friend in the field. Those of you who have been following GRACE content for a while may have come across his name: he's led a few of the more important trials that are part of our current core knowledge in lung cancer now, such as the

The second podcast from Dr. Ramalingam's excellent webinar on Personalizing Treatment for First Line NSCLC is the question and answer session that followed it, which includes many questions about EGFR-based therapy, antiangiogenic agents, and other relevant issues for individualized treatments for patients.