Lung cancer treatment research enters a new era

Advances in lung cancer treatment highlight importance of tumour testing at diagnosis

Research presented at the ESMO Congress 2023 sets potential major changes in first-line treatment for patients with NSCLC with targetable tumour cell mutations

More people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are likely to benefit from new drugs that target molecular alterations in tumour cells, with less need for chemotherapy, following results of multiple landmark clinical trials reported for the first time in late-breaking presentations at the ESMO Congress 2023.

Better outcomes were achieved with combinations of experimental new drugs targeting common and rare tumour mutations than with standard treatments, with improvements seen in both early and late-stage NSCLC – the type of lung cancer responsible for approximately eight out of 10 cases of the disease.

Results of NSCLC studies presented at the ESMO Congress 2023 also suggest that using mutation-targeted treatment can reduce the need for chemotherapy in some patients, including those with some rarer tumour alterations for which targeted treatment options have previously been limited.

In addition, study data reinforce the value of adding immunotherapy to chemotherapy in some types of NSCLC, including the use of this treatment before surgery for patients with operable cancers to shrink tumours and indicate likely response to further treatment after surgery (so called, neoadjuvant treatment).

Reference: Lung cancer treatment research enters a new era; EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR MEDICAL ONCOLOGY