Lung Cancer

We've covered the question of maintenance therapy for lung cancer in many posts over the past 5-6 years as it has evolved from a concept with little evidence to a standard of care, but it is difficult to get a good summary of the big picture. This presentation is my attempt to distill the field into the most important principles.

Why would an ALK lung cancer patient need a repeat biopsy? The doctors discuss the need for and frequency of repeat biopsies.

Several new treatments for ALK positive lung cancer patients are on the horizon. In this video, the doctors discuss them while patients in the audience share some of their experiences with side effects on various treatments.

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New treatments for ALK rearrangements are on the horizon. In this video, the doctors discuss how they determine whether or not they change treatments for their patients once they begin to show progression while on Xalkori (crizotinib).

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How often should ALK patients receive scans to determine if their disease has progressed in various parts of the body?

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The doctors discuss how patients can navigate the tricky waters of stopping therapy while avoiding painful and sometimes life-threatening flare.

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ALK positive lung cancer typically shows up in people who do not appear to be at high risk for the disease, so is this something that a lung cancer patient can pass on to his or her children? The doctors discuss what research shows on this issue.

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Who should be tested for ALK? How is ALK tested and how reliable are the results? In this video, the doctors discuss several issues surrounding the issue of testing for ALK, including what the medical guidelines suggest for testing lung cancer patients for genetic mutations.

Xalkori (crizotinib) was one of the fastest approved drugs in cancer treatment history because of its high efficacy levels in ALK positive lung cancer patients. In this video, the doctors discuss what took place as it raced to approval, as well as the limitations and side effects of the drug.

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The doctors discuss the history of ALK in lung cancer treatments and what the ALK rearrangement means for patients.