Contributing Authors: Brittney Nichols, MPH, RN-BSN, Senior Specialist, Science and Research, GO2 for Lung Cancer; Andrew Ciupek, PhD, Associate Director, Clinical Research, GO2 for Lung Cancer; and Renee Botello, MSc, Navigator, Treatment and Trials, GO2 for Lung Cancer

Every year, oncology professionals worldwide meet at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference. New treatments, developments, and scientific breakthroughs are some of the most exciting parts of ASCO. GO2 for Lung Cancer team members just returned from this year’s meeting in Chicago, bringing back exciting updates for the lung cancer community.

Palliative care delivery: in-person versus telehealth

Clinical trials have shown that receiving early palliative care improves the quality of life and is associated with increased survival for people with advanced lung cancer. Typically, palliative care is established and provided in person at the clinic. This can lead to barriers, particularly if someone lives far from their treatment center or needs help with transportation.

To try and ease this burden, a team of providers and researchers with Massachusetts General Hospital provided 2 groups with palliative care:

  • Group 1 received all care in person from start to finish
  • Group 2 had their first visit in person, then all other appointments took place via telehealth

When assessing quality of life, the telehealth group scored slightly higher than the in-person group. This study found that palliative care via telehealth provided equal benefit to in-person care.

GO2 has long promoted palliative care as an important part of overall lung cancer care. Our policy team advocated for keeping telehealth regulations put in place during the pandemic, making it easier for individuals to access telehealth as an option for their care. This study represents an important step towards ensuring high-quality access to much-needed palliative care services.

Key takeaway: Palliative care delivered via telehealth is just as beneficial, if not more beneficial, as in-person care. Telehealth options can help expand access to more people.

Targeted therapy after chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for metastatic lung cancer

Tagrisso (osimertinib) is a targeted therapy, approved in December 2020 as a post-surgery treatment for people diagnosed with stage 1B (IB) to 3A (IIIA) EGFR-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, 60-90% of stage 3 (III) NSCLC can’t be removed by surgery based on risk/safety, making Tagrisso (osimertinib) unavailable to a large portion of people with stage 3 (III) NSCLC. In these cases, the treatment given is often chemotherapy and radiation (chemoradiation) followed by immunotherapy treatment.

The LAURA study investigated whether Tagrisso (osimertinib) could benefit people with stage 3 (III) EGFR-positive NSCLC who are not eligible for surgery. Participants matching these criteria were treated with chemoradiation, followed by either Tagrisso (osimertinib) or regular care (observation). Results showed that:

  • When treated with Tagrisso (osimertinib), the cancer was much more likely to respond to treatment.
  • Those receiving Tagrisso (osimertinib) had greatly improved progression-free survival (the length of time during and after treatment that cancer does not get worse).

These very promising results indicate Tagrisso (osimertinib) may be an important new therapeutic option for people with this type of lung cancer.

With increasing data supporting the use of certain targeted therapies for early-stage lung cancer, it is becoming increasingly important for all people to receive comprehensive biomarker testing as part of their care.

Key takeaway: Tagrisso (osimertinib) following chemoradition may be a beneficial treatment option for people with stage 3 (III) EGFR-positive NSCLC who are not candidates for surgery.

Immunotherapy as a concurrent treatment for limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC)

Since the 1980s, the standard treatment for limited-stage SCLC (LS-SCLC) has been a combination of chemotherapy and concurrent (at the same time) radiation therapy  (chemoradiation). Although SCLC is sensitive to the standard treatment, it is prone to drug resistance. With LS-SCLC median survival time not increasing despite aggressive first-line treatments, researchers are working hard to improve treatment options and prognosis for people with LS-SCLC.

In the phase 3 ADRIATIC trial, investigators at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute wanted to understand if there was a benefit to adding immunotherapy to standard of care chemoradiation for LS-SCLC. After 3 years, those receiving Imfinzi (durvalumab) along with the current SoC showed significant improvement in both overall survival (the amount of time a person lives after starting treatment) and progression-free survival (the length of time during and after treatment that cancer does not get worse). Data showed:

  • A median overall survival of 55.9 months for those receiving Imfinzi (durvalumab) versus 33.4 months in the group receiving only chemoradiation.
  • An increased progression-free survival for those receiving Imfinzi (durvalumab) of 16.6 months versus 9.2 months in the group receiving only chemoradiation.

This positive phase 3 trial of immunotherapy for LS-SCLC is a step forward in research to improve the treatment and prognosis of LS-SCLC.

Educating about new therapeutic advances and research in SCLC is an important part of GO2’s SCLC initiative—a commitment to the SCLC community through education and support for patients and their families.

Key takeaway: Adding immunotherapy as follow-up therapy may be a new therapeutic approach for people with LS-SCLC who have not progressed after standard of care chemoradiation.