For patients with wild type EGFR, meaning there is no EGFR mutation, drugs like Tarceva (erlotinib) can have a small benefit, but Dr. Joan Schiller wants research to do better. February 2014

[powerpress]

Eighty percent of lung cancer patients have wild type EGFR, meaning there is no EGFR mutation. Dr. Joan Schiller of UT Southwestern Medical Center discusses a new drug in development that may help those patients. February 2014

[powerpress]

Dr. Mark Socinski covered the TAILOR trial, an Italian study directly comparing second line Taxotere (docetaxel) to Tarceva (erlotinib) in advanced NSCLC patients without an EGFR mutation, in the ASCO Lung Cancer Highlights program.

The annual conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in late spring is the biggest event in the cancer world, where more of the big trials are presented than at any other time all year.  In the lung cancer world, it’s looking like this one won’t be a blockbuster but will have some promising and interesting findings to dis

Just prior to ASCO, I mentioned the early results of the Cancer and Leurkemia Group B (CALGB -- Group A long-since defunct) 30406 trial.

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).