2024 Lung Cancer Awareness Month
Today is Thanksgiving in America. A day where family and friends gather to share great food without needing to exchange gifts. It’s truly a remarkable holiday where the only requirement is to eat, drink and be merry while you reflect on what you are thankful for.
This year, there will be ~125,070 US tables missing someone due to lung cancer. Although this number decreased from the 131,888 Americans who died in 2022, there are still too many Thanksgiving tables remembering loved ones rather than enjoying their company.
This year, let’s be thankful for the advancements that will decrease the number of next year’s Thanksgiving tables who are missing a loved one due to lung cancer.
Immunotherapy
AEGEAN study: 18 month follow up of this study that evaluated the use of immunotherapy and chemotherapy before surgery in stage IIA-IIIB NSCLC patients led to a 32% decrease in cancer returning, progressing or causing the patient’s death. Originally published in 2023, this follow up shows continued promise of this strategy.
EGFR Positive Non Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients
LAURA study: In stage III lung cancer patients who could not have surgery but were treated with standard chemotherapy, those given Osimertinib, an EGFR inhibitor, lived an average of 39.1 months without their cancer worsening compared to only 5.6 months for those who did not receive Osimertinib. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2402614
Of note, this year is the 20 year anniversary of the discovery finding mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) played a key role in lung cancer. This led to the development of targeted therapy introducing the world to precision oncology.
ALK-EMLA4 Positive Non Small Cell Lung Cancer patients
ALINA study: In patients with complete surgical removal of their cancer, 93.8% of those given the targeted agent, alectinib, were alive without evidence of disease compared to only 63% of patients treated with conventional chemotherapy. This led to the FDA approving this medication for use in ALK patients after surgery. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2310532
Robotic Navigational Bronchoscopy:
Though not technically an advancement only in 2024, this year found a marked improvement in the ability of pulmonologists to biopsy smaller nodules . This year saw the use of an imaging modality during robotic bronchoscopy to improve biopsy success. Basically, we can now use a real time CT scanner to improve the success of biopsying smaller nodules. Biopsying smaller nodules means we find lung cancer earlier when the chance of curing it is greater.
Happy Thanksgiving!