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Obesity and survival in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or chemoimmunotherapy: a multicenter cohort study
“Obesity may be associated with an increased overall survival among male patients treated with chemotherapy, whereas not associated with the outcomes in patients treated with immunotherapy or chemoimmunotherapy.”

Chemo Plus Immunotherapy Benefits Subset of Lung Cancer Patients
“Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have demonstrated that patients with metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring specific mutations in the STK11 and/or KEAP1 tumor suppressor genes were more likely to benefit from adding the immunotherapy tremelimumab to a combination of durvalumab plus chemotherapy to overcome treatment resistance typically seen in this patient population.”

Impact of Air Pollution on Lung Health Sparks Call for Physician-Led Action at CHEST 2024
“Experts explored the impact of climate change in the chest medicine space through numerous sessions and posters at the CHEST 2024 annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, last week. The topic was first introduced during the keynote address, “The Climate and Health Pandemic,” delivered by Vanessa Kerry, MD, MSc, director of global and climate health policy in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.1 She discussed various effects of climate change, calling on clinicians to recognize these threats and implement sustainable practices to mitigate them.”

ACS Guidelines Expand Lung Cancer Screening Eligibility — Is That a Good Thing?
“BOSTON — Whether low-dose CT screening for lung cancer should be expanded to include people who quit smoking more than 15 years ago, as the American Cancer Society (ACS) now recommends, was the topic of much debate here.”

Neural network models help predict immunotherapy efficacy in small cell lung cancer
“As immunotherapy makes breakthrough progress in the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), predicting treatment outcomes has become a focal point in clinical practice. Immunotherapy combined with chemotherapy has been approved as first-line therapy for small cell lung cancer due to its survival benefit in randomized controlled trials. However, predicting its efficacy remains a challenge in the absence of currently available biomarkers.”

Frontline EGFR/VEGF Inhibition Slows Advanced EGFR-Positive Lung Cancer
“Adding the VEGF inhibitor ramucirumab (Cyramza) to the EGFR inhibitor osimertinib (Tagrisso) slowed progression of untreated EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by 9 months compared with osimertinib alone, an interim analysis of the randomized RAMOSE trial showed.”

Fox Chase Cancer Center Researchers Find Gene That Triggers Immune Response in Treatment-Resistant Small-Cell Lung Cancer
“PHILADELPHIA (October 10, 2024) — TREX1, a gene previously associated with autoimmune diseases, has been linked to small cell lung cancer. The discovery by Fox Chase Cancer Center scientists is a step toward understanding why this aggressive cancer is so resistant to treatment. The findings are significant because they identify a pathway that could be targeted to make small cell lung cancer immunogenic, a quality that produces an immune response from the body. This could make the pathway sensitive to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.”

New approach enhances radiation treatment for lung cancer brain metastases
“In new research, a team led by University of Cincinnati researchers has identified a potential new way to make radiation more effective and improve outcomes for patients with lung cancer that has spread to the brain.”

FDA Approves Nivolumab for the Treatment of Adult Patients With Resectable NSCLC
“The FDA has approved nivolumab (Opdivo; Bristol Myers Squibb) for the treatment of adult patients with resectable (tumors ≥4 cm or node positive) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with no known epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements, for neoadjuvant treatment in combination with platinum-doublet chemotherapy, followed by single-agent nivolumab as adjuvant treatment after surgery (or perioperative therapy). The approval comes after results from the phase 3 CheckMate-77T trial (NCT04025879).”

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Early Biomarker Testing Key for Perioperative NSCLC Success
“Ticiana Leal, MD, Winship Cancer Institutes, explains the importance of biomarker testing and multidisciplinary conversations while caring for patients with early-stage non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).”

Goals of Therapy and Considerations for Treatment Sequencing in Extensive Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer
“Ticiana Leal, MD, discusses how in cases of extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC) that progress within 6 months of platinum-based chemotherapy, treatment options such as tarlatamab, lurbinectedin, topotecan, and irinotecan should be considered, alongside the potential to extend chemoimmunotherapy cycles. She also addresses the impact of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines and the consideration of prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) despite negative brain imaging results.”

After wife dies from non-smoking lung cancer, Utah man urges all to test for radon
Rachel Smith was a NICU nurse who took care of some of the most vulnerable lives possible until she received her own life-changing diagnosis—non-smoking lung cancer. An avid gym-goer and mom of two, Rachel was the pinnacle of health before she came down with a cough that wouldn’t let up. After a visit to the emergency room and a pneumonia diagnosis, tests revealed her body was fighting lung cancer at just 32 years old.”