From the experts

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting was held in Chicago June 3-7, 2022. Dr. Upal Basu Roy, Executive Director of Research at LUNGevity Foundation, sat down with Dr. Charles Rudin to discuss key highlights from ASCO 2022 and what they mean for the lung cancer community.

In 2021, LUNGevity Foundation announced our inaugural Health Equity and Inclusiveness Workforce Development Awards to help combat the lack of diversity among lung cancer researchers as well as disparities in the lung cancer research itself. To learn more about the health disparities research and why it matters to all people, LUNGevity Foundation spoke with Robert Winn, MD, director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and member of LUNGevity’s Board of Directors. 

LUNGevity Foundation: How do we know these disparities exist?

On May 28, 2021, the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved sotorasib as the first targeted therapy for patients with KRAS G12C-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

A very happy New Year from the LUNGevity science team! Even though the COVID-19 pandemic raged on in 2021, lots of exciting progress occurred in the lung cancer space.

Here are some of the major advancements we saw in 2021 and how they will impact the lung cancer community.

Historically, surgery has been the most effective treatment for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). While technological improvements, such as the development of minimally invasive techniques (such as video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or VATS), have made surgeries safer for patients, the ability to cure early-stage NSCLC patients hasn’t improved significantly in recent decades. Even after successful surgeries that completely remove the visible tumor, about half of these patients will face a recurrence with their cancer coming back within five years.

In recent years, biomarker testing has grown increasingly more important and more complex as researchers understand critical details about the molecular basis of lung cancer. By testing the genomic make-up of each individual’s lung cancer, oncologists are better equipped to recommend treatment plans that are optimized for patient outcomes.

By now, you have probably heard the news that scientists have discovered a new variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. This one is called omicron, a letter in the Greek alphabet, and joins the family of other SARS-CoV-2 variants including alpha, beta, gamma, delta, lamba, and mu.

Some people with lung cancer have reduced lung function from their cancer or their treatments, like surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. People with diminished lung functional capacity or shortness of breath may find pulmonary rehabilitation, a medical program that helps manage breathing, to be a helpful part of their palliative care.

Dr. Patricia Fogelman, DNP, a palliative care provider, talked to us to help us learn more about pulmonary rehab and its benefits.
 

Checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy has revolutionized lung cancer treatment and ushered in a new era of scientific discovery that is focused on empowering our natural immune system to target and eradicate lung cancer. While some patients see a strong long-lasting benefit from checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy, there remains a significant proportion of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who do not show a lasting benefit.