Factors associated with time to EGFR TKI treatment in patients with non-squamous metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer.

Assess factors associated with EGFR TKI initiation among patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). Medicare Part D patients diagnosed with non-squamous mNSCLC and starting an EGFR TKI within 1 year of diagnosis were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database. Associations between patient characteristics and time from diagnosis to treatment initiation (time-to-treatment [TTT]) were analyzed.

Small cell lung cancer.

Neuroendocrine tumors account for approximately 20% of lung cancers; most (≈15%) are small cell lung cancer (SCLC). These NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for SCLC focus on extensive-stage SCLC because it occurs more frequently than limited-stage disease. SCLC is highly sensitive to initial therapy; however, most patients eventually die of recurrent disease.

BLP-25 liposomal vaccine: a promising potential therapy in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Despite marginal improvements in survival gained from multimodality treatment, long-term survival rates remain low for lung cancer, which remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in North America. BLP25 liposomal (L-BLP25) vaccine (Stimuvax) is a promising liposomal vaccine designed to generate an immune response against MUC1, a glycoprotein expressed on the cell surface of many normal epithelial tissues and over or aberrantly expressed on many carcinoma cells, including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MUC1 is potentially a good target for immunotherapy, as evidenced by preclinical data and in Phase I and II clinical trials demonstrating the potential early activity of L-BLP25 with minimal toxicity in NSCLC.