Efficacy and Safety of Nivolumab in Previously Treated Patients With Non-Small-cell Lung Cancer: Real World Experience in Argentina.

Background: Nivolumab was the first anti-programmed cell death 1 drug approved in Argentina for non-small-cell lung cancer treatment in the second-line setting.

Materials And Methods: The present study was a multicenter, observational, retrospective study of patients with progression to stage IV NSCLC during platinum-based chemotherapy who had received nivolumab monotherapy in a drug-expanded access program in Argentina.

Results: The data from 109 patients were assessed retrospectively for safety and clinical outcomes.

KRAS mutations in lung cancer.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutations and increased EGFR copy numbers have been associated with a favorable response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and several markers have been identified that predict response to treatment. Lung adenocarcinomas also harbor activating mutations in the downstream GTPase, v-Ki-ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene (KRAS), and mutations in EGFR and KRAS appear to be mutually exclusive. Even though KRAS mutations were identified in NSCLC tumors more than 20 years ago, we have only just begun to appreciate the clinical value of determining KRAS tumor status.

mRNA expression levels and genetic status of genes involved in the EGFR and NF-κB pathways in metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Background: Metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a dismal prognosis. EGFR is overexpressed or mutated in a large proportion of cases. Downstream components of the EGFR pathway and crosstalk with the NF-κB pathway have not been examined at the clinical level.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors for non-small-cell lung cancer: finding patients who will be responsive.

In recent years, the management of lung cancer has been moving towards molecular-guided treatment, and the best example of this new approach is the use of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) erlotinib and gefitinib in patients with mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Erlotinib was introduced as a second- and third-line therapy for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer and demonstrated a survival advantage over placebo in unselected patients. Gefitinb did not confer the same advantage but specific subgroups of patients obtained higher response rates.

Predicting response to chemotherapy with early-stage lung cancer.

A recent meta-analysis of 11,107 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had undergone surgical resection showed that the 5-year survival benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy was 4%, and that of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was 5%. Two trials have shown a trend toward improved survival with adjuvant paclitaxel plus carboplatin. However, the benefit of adjuvant treatment remains suboptimal.