image: Julie Brahmer, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, is pictured. view more
Credit: IASLC
Vienna, Austria--December 7, 2016--Today's press briefing at the IASLC 17th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) focused on clinical trials that advance the progress made in lung cancer treatment through immunotherapy and better diagnostics. Abstracts and full versions of news releases for each topic covered are available through links in this summary, or through IASLC media representative Chris Martin at cmartin@davidjamesgroup.com.
French researchers report out harmonization study for PD-L1 immunohistochemistry testing in NSCLC.
PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) is considered as a predictive biomarker for most anti PD-1/PDL-1 therapies in non-small cell lung cancer, but different assays are used in clinical trials. Immunology researchers strive to find a test that accurately and consistently predicts PD-L1 status so pathologists and clinicians can better predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapy. French researchers presented data today on how effective several laboratory-developed tests performed when compared against PD-L1 assays used in clinical trials. The data was presented by Dr. Julien Adam, Gustave Roussy Cancer Campus, France. To see the complete news release, click here: http://bit.ly/2h5IqZq
Durvalumab is clinically active and well-tolerated in heavily-pretreated metastatic patients with NSCLC.
Durvalumab is a monoclonal antibody that targets programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and is currently being tested as both monotherapy and in combination with tremelimumab (CTLA-4 mAb) in NSCLC. Dr. Marina Garassino of the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, today presented data from a single-arm Phase II global trial that showed durvalumab was clinically active and well-tolerated when given to heavily pre-treated metastatic patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To read the complete news release, click here: http://bit.ly/2h5J75j
Patients receiving pembrolizumab report better quality of life than those on chemotherapy.
Patients in the pembrolizumab arm of the KEYNOTE-024 trial reported better quality of life than patients receiving chemotherapy, according to research presented by Dr. Julie Brahmer, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, USA.
Pembrolizumab was approved in October by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer patients whose disease progressed during or after chemotherapy.
Previous data from KEYNOTE-024 demonstrated that pembrolizumab provided superior progression-free survival and overall survival as compared to chemotherapy as first-line therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer with PD-L1 expression on greater than 50 percent of tumor cells and no sensitizing EGFR or ALK aberrations. Read the entire news release here: http://bit.ly/2h5EcRW
Nivolumab shows promise in treating malignant pleural mesothelioma.
The immunotherapy nivolumab showed promise in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to research presented by Dr. Paul Baas of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. Pleural mesothelioma is a cancer of the protective lining of the lung known as the pleura. It is caused by inhaling asbestos fibers into the lungs and is the most common form of mesothelioma.
"Nivolumab in second or later lines in recurrent malignant pleural mesothelioma met the primary endpoint," said Dr. Baas. "We detected mild toxicity, long lasting results, and we observed a clear correlation between PD-L1 expression and response." To read more, click here: http://bit.ly/2h5BbAX
OAK trial support use of atezolizumab for patients with NSCLC.
Patients who received atezolizumab as part of the OAK Trial experienced, on average, 4.2 months improvement in overall survival compared with patients enrolled in the docetaxel arm of the trial, according to data presented by Dr. Shirish Gadgeel of the Karmanos Cancer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit. The subgroup analysis results demonstrated that atezolizumab improved overall survival regardless of histology and regardless of PD-L1 status as measured by IHC or tumor gene expression. To read the entire release, click here: http://bit.ly/2h5IAQE
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About the WCLC:
The WCLC is the world's largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, attracting more than 6,000 researchers, physicians, and specialists from more than 100 countries. The goal is to increase awareness, collaboration, and understanding of lung cancer, and to help participants implement the latest developments across the globe. Organized under the theme of "Together Against Lung Cancer," the conference will cover a wide range of disciplines and unveil several research studies and clinical trial results. For more information, visit http://wclc2016.iaslc.org/.
About the IASLC:
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 5,000 lung cancer specialists in over 100 countries. Visit http://www.iaslc.org for more information.