Dr. Jack West reviews emerging new information and controversial topics in health care in general, cancer treatment in particular.
Is immunotherapy ineffective in patients with driver mutation-positive advanced NSCLC? Time to walk that back. (BMIC-027)
Dr. Jack West summarizes the evolving data shaping our understanding of the role of immune checkpoint inhibitors for patients with EGFR- or ALK-positive advanced NSCLC, including more recent data that should change our perspective. (10:25)
Chemo/Immunotherapy in Advanced Squamous NSCLC: What is the Impact of IMpower131? (BMIC-026)
Dr. Jack West reviews the preliminary positive result form the IMpower131 trial of chemo +/- atezolizumab immunotherapy and considers what the clinical significance of these findings should be for patients with advanced squamous NSCLC. (9:12)
Is Durvalumab (Imfinzi) in Stage III NSCLC Curing Patients or Just Treating Metastatic Disease Earlier? Importance of Overall Survival and Implications for Duration of Treatment (BMIC-025)
Dr. Jack West explores the importance of following the overall survival of patients on the PACIFIC trial and considers still open questions of whether consolidation durvalumab (Imfinzi) in stage III unresectable NSCLC should be discontinued after a year. (6:32)
Durvalumab (Imfinzi) FDA Approved for Stage III NSCLC: Should It Become Standard of Care Without Overall Survival Benefit Demonstrated? (BMIC-024)
Dr. Jack West reviews key results of the PACIFIC trial of the immunotherapy agent durvalumab (Imfinzi) vs. placebo in stage III NSCLC and explains the pros and cons of durvalumab as a new standard of care after concurrent chemoradiation. (7:43)
A New Treatment Option for Uncommon EGFR Mutations (BMIC-023)
Dr. Jack West reviews the new FDA approval for afatinib (Gilotrif) for specific uncommon EGFR mutations, including G719X, L861Q, and S768I, in advanced NSCLC. (6:35)
Chemo-Immunotherapy in Non-Squamous NSCLC: Has the KEYNOTE-189 Trial Defined a Clear Standard of Care? (BMIC-022)
Dr. Jack West reviews the results and pending questions of the KEYNOTE-189 trial of chemotherapy with or without pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA) as first line therapy for advanced non-squamous NSCLC, as well as how they change the treatment landscape. (8:13)
T Effector Gene Signature on IMpower150: Is There a Better Biomarker than PD-L1 for Immunotherapy? (BMIC-021)
Dr. Jack West reviews provocative biomarker results on the IMpower150 trial that tested atezolizumab with carboplatin/paclitaxel +/- bevacizumab & revealed strongest benefit of atezo in those with T effector gene signature high expression or high PD-L1. (10:19)
Atezolizumab in First Line NSCLC: Early Clinical Results from the IMpower150 Trial (BMIC-020)
Dr. Jack West reviews the preliminary clinical results on the IMpower150 trial that tested the value of adding the immune checkpoint inhibitor atezolizumab to carbo/paclitaxel/bevacizumab in patients with chemo-naïve advanced non-squamous NSCLC. (11:28)
Genomic Sequencing for All Solid Tumors: Where Will This Lead Us? (BMIC-019)
Dr. Jack West reviews the implications, both encouraging and potentially detrimental, of a recent FDA approval for broad genomic (NGS) testing of all solid tumors, ushering in a new era of growing precision medicine and molecular oncology. (8:55)