What is the value of maintenance therapy in advanced NSCLC, and who should get it?

We’ve covered the question of maintenance therapy for lung cancer in many posts over the pat 5-6 years as it has evolved from a concept with little evidence to a standard of care, but it is difficult to get a good summary of the big picture. This presentation is my attempt to distill the field into the most important principles.

What is the value of maintenance therapy in advanced NSCLC, and who should get it? from H. Jack West

And for those who want to download the slides in an easily printable form, here’s the slide set as a pdf file: Maintenance therapy primer
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Posted in Chemotherapy, Core Concepts, Maintenance Therapy after First Line, Treatment | Tagged alimta, Continuation maintenance, docetaxel, erlotinib, maintenance therapy, pemetrexed, Second Line therapy, slidedoc, Switch Maintenance, tarceva, taxotere | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Repeat Biopsies

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

Why would an ALK lung cancer patient need a repeat biopsy? The doctors discuss the need for and frequency of repeat biopsies.

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Posted in ALK inhibition, Evaluation and Work-Up, General Lung Cancer Issues, GRACEcast, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Pathology/Lung Cancer Subtypes, Screening Issues and Controversy | Tagged ALK, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Next Generation ALK Inhibitors

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

Several new treatments for ALK positive lung cancer patients are on the horizon. In this video, the doctors discuss them while patients in the audience share some of their experiences with side effects on various treatments.

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Posted in ALK inhibition, ALK Inhibitors, Core Concepts, Gene Profiles/Molecular Signatures, General Lung Cancer Issues, GRACEcast, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Targeted therapies, Targeted Therapies, Activity and Side Effects, Treatment | Tagged alectinib, ALK, ARIAD, ceritinib, crizotinib, LDK 378, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, resistance, Side Effects, XALKORI | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Disease Progression While on Xalkori

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

New treatments for ALK rearrangements are on the horizon. In this video, the doctors discuss how they determine whether or not they change treatments for their patients once they begin to show progression while on Xalkori (crizotinib).

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Posted in ALK inhibition, ALK Inhibitors, Core Concepts, General Lung Cancer Issues, GRACEcast, Imaging and Response Measurement, Lung Cancer, Maintenance Therapy after First Line, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Targeted therapies, Treatment, What I Really Do | Tagged ALK, brain metastases, brain mets, crizotinib, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, progression, resistance, XALKORI | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Scanning for Progression

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

How often should ALK patients receive scans to determine if their disease has progressed in various parts of the body?

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Posted in General Lung Cancer Issues, GRACEcast, Imaging and Response Measurement, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) | Tagged ALK, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Risk of Flare After Stopping Targeted Therapy

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

The doctors discuss how patients can navigate the tricky waters of stopping therapy while avoiding painful and sometimes life-threatening flare.

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Posted in ALK inhibition, ALK Inhibitors, Core Concepts, General Lung Cancer Issues, GRACEcast, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Targeted therapies, Targeted Therapies, Activity and Side Effects, Treatment | Tagged ALK, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Can I Pass ALK Onto My Children

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

ALK positive lung cancer typically shows up in people who do not appear to be at high risk for the disease, so is this something that a lung cancer patient can pass on to his or her children? The doctors discuss what research shows on this issue.

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Posted in ALK inhibition, Causes of Lung Cancer & Prevention Strategies, General Lung Cancer Issues, GRACEcast, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) | Tagged ALK, genetics, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Testing for ALK

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

Who should be tested for ALK? How is ALK tested and how reliable are the results? In this video, the doctors discuss several issues surrounding the issue of testing for ALK, including what the medical guidelines suggest for testing lung cancer patients for genetic mutations.

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Posted in ALK inhibition, Gene Profiles/Molecular Signatures, General Lung Cancer Issues, GRACEcast, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) | Tagged ALK, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: Xalkori

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

Xalkori (crizotinib) was one of the fastest approved drugs in cancer treatment history because of its high efficacy levels in ALK positive lung cancer patients. In this video, the doctors discuss what took place as it raced to approval, as well as the limitations and side effects of the drug.

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Posted in ALK inhibition, ALK Inhibitors, GRACEcast, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Targeted therapies, Targeted Therapies, Activity and Side Effects | Tagged ALK, brain metastases, brain mets, crizotinib, Lung Cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, NSCLC, progression, resistance, Side Effects, XALKORI | Leave a comment

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ALK Positive Lung Cancer Forum 2014: ALK Rearrangements in Lung Cancer

Published April 3, 2014 | By GRACE Video | Leave a comment

The doctors discuss the history of ALK in lung cancer treatments and what the ALK rearrangement means for patients.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:28 — 151.0MB) | Embed

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Posted in ALK inhibition, ALK Inhibitors, GRACEcast, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Targeted therapies | Tagged dental care, Dr. Geoffrey Geiger, head and neck cancer, HNSCC, oropharynx cancer, radiotherapy, secretion changes, Side Effects, skin irritation, taste changes, University of Pennsylvania | Leave a comment