Making Strides in Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Update on Targeted Therapies
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Published on August 15, 2018
Where is research today for small cell lung cancer? Noted lung cancer expert Dr. Jeffrey Crawford gives an overview of progress in treatment, shares what advances have been made, and insight into the direction of future approaches to therapy. Dr. Crawford discusses the use of chemo and radiation, supportive care, important biomarkers present in many small cell lung cancer patients and targeted therapies in development. Watch now to find out more.
This is a Patient Empowerment Network program produced by Patient Power. We thank Celgene and Pfizer for their support.
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Transcript | Making Strides in Small Cell Lung Cancer: An Update on Targeted Therapies
Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of our sponsors, contributors, partners or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That’s how you’ll get care that’s most appropriate for you.
Andrew Schorr:
Okay. Dr. Crawford, any other comment you wanted to make about small cell?
Dr. Crawford:
I would say it's an area that's been difficult to see advances. Small cell presents generally at more advanced stage, so very few patients can have surgery. Chemo and radiation can still be curative for early?stage patients with lymph node involvement who don't have distant disease, but in the advanced stage setting we've been using the same chemotherapy for 20 years. Our supportive care has gotten better, we've made some advances, but we're hoping immune therapy and others will make a difference.
It's kind of interesting. Small cell, you would think, since it's prevalent largely in smokers, people with smoking exposure, could be very—a lot of mutations being present. We know that total mutation burden is a nice predictor of benefit in non-small cell lung cancer, so we think that would—might play out here. There is PD-L1 expression in small cell, but it's not as intense. And there is some separation by PD-L1 score of benefit for immune checkpoint therapy in small cell, but the responses in general are less than they have been in non?small cell. So we're going to need more, more homework to figure this one out, but I think we're taking some steps in the right direction.
And as Dr. Kim pointed out, roba?T is a targeted therapy, maybe one of the first targeted therapies we've had in small cell that attacks antigen present on a lot of small cell called B-L-L-3, and there are other therapies being developed against that BLL3, because we know that's an important marker. So I hope we will see agents that are truly targeted therapies in small cell in the next few years.
Please remember the opinions expressed on Patient Power are not necessarily the views of our sponsors, contributors, partners or Patient Power. Our discussions are not a substitute for seeking medical advice or care from your own doctor. That’s how you’ll get care that’s most appropriate for you.
