Abraham Chachoua, MD, associate director of cancer services at NYU Langone Medical Center, talks about targeted treatment for mutations in non-small cell lung cancer and adenocarcinoma.

Of the three EGFR mutations which are associated with increased sensitivity to EGFR targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI), Exon 19 is the most common, says Chachoua. Therapies should be targeted to treat each individual mutation.

Afatinib, a targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) therapy was shown to be superior to chemotherapy in a recent trial looking at a subset of Exon 19 patients.

Videos

Dr. Chachoua on Afatinib for Exon 19 Mutation in Lung Cancer 

Abraham Chachoua, MD, The Jay and Isabel Fine Associate Professor of Oncology, NYU Langone Medical Center, associate director, Cancer Services, Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone, discusses ongoing clinical trials at NYU that are evaluating immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer.

Chachoua says one clinical trial at NYU is examining chemotherapy versus immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have never been treated before. This will help researchers determine if immunotherapy upfront is better than chemotherapy, which is currently the standard treatment.

A third-line trial is also being conducted, Chachoua says, to examine an anti-PD compound that is being made by MedImmune.

NYU is opening a trial of ipilimumab, which is currently approved for the treatment of melanoma, in patients with lung cancer. This trial will analyze radiotherapy in conjunction with ipilimumab for patients with metastatic lung cancer. The trial will determine if using the combination of the antibody with radiation will enhance the immune response to the cancer. Chachoua says the trial is based on a patient experience at the Perlmutter Cancer Center.

Abraham Chachoua, MD

Articles

Dr. Chachoua on Afatinib for Exon 19 Mutation in Lung Cancer

Dr. Chachoua Describes Clinical Trials Evaluating Immunotherapy in Lung Cancer