Ticiana A. Leal, MD

Ticiana A. Leal, MD, is an associate professor and director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia; as well as medical director of the Clinical Trials Office and leader of the Lung Cancer Disease Team at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University

Articles

Evaluating the Impact of Subcutaneous Amivantamab Administration

October 20th 2025

Experts discuss the promise of subcutaneous (SubQ) amivantamab in improving logistical efficiency and reducing infusion-related reactions in the MARIPOSA regimen, while emphasizing that chronic toxicities persist regardless of administration route, underscoring the ongoing need for proactive monitoring, supportive care, and close clinical oversight.

Pemetrexed Maintenance Duration and Toxicity Management

October 20th 2025

Experts discuss the cumulative toxicities of pemetrexed in the FLAURA2 regimen, emphasizing the need for personalized, flexible approaches to maintenance therapy duration that balance ongoing efficacy with tolerability, guided by patient-specific factors and real-world clinical experience.

Integrating Novel Therapies in Relapsed ES-SCLC

October 17th 2025

Panelists discuss how tarlatamab implementation requires careful infrastructure planning, including 24-hour monitoring capabilities, staff education about cytokine release syndrome management, patient counseling, and coordination with community partners to ensure all eligible patients have access to this standard-of-care therapy.

Strategies for Preventing and Managing Treatment Related Neutropenia

October 17th 2025

Panelists discuss how neutropenia management varies widely across institutions, with some using primary prophylaxis with G-CSF or trilaciclib, while others tailor supportive care based on individual patient risk factors including age, comorbidities, and prior treatment tolerance.

The Impact of SKIPirr and COCOON Protocols on Amivantamab Toxicities

October 13th 2025

Experts discuss the critical role of toxicity management in deciding whether to use amivantamab/lazertinib up-front or in later lines, highlighting the need for intensive supportive care, coordinated care teams, and structured patient education to navigate the regimen’s unique and often burdensome adverse effect profile.

Differentiating Between the Risk-Benefit Profiles for the Combination Therapies

October 13th 2025

Experts discuss the comparative merits of FLAURA2 and MARIPOSA frontline regimens for EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer, noting similar survival benefits but highlighting key differences in toxicity profiles, supportive care demands, and real-world practicality that make individualized patient counseling essential to treatment selection.

Practical Approaches to Immune-Related Adverse Events in SCLC

October 10th 2025

Panelists discuss how monitoring for long-term immunotherapy toxicities requires regular imaging and symptom assessment, with early recognition and treatment of pneumonitis, hypothyroidism, and adrenal insufficiency being critical for maintaining patients on therapy and preventing chronic complications.

Managing Toxicity With Combined Chemoradiation and Immunotherapy

October 10th 2025

Panelists discuss how managing toxicities during chemoradiation requires proactive counseling about esophagitis and fatigue, while immunotherapy consolidation typically doesn’t enhance these acute toxicities, making it feasible to start within the recommended timeframe after completion of chemoradiation.

The Role of the Physician in the Shared Decision-Making Process

October 6th 2025

Experts discuss the vital role of shared decision-making in lung cancer treatment, emphasizing personalized, ongoing conversations that align therapy choices with patients’ values, quality-of-life considerations, and life circumstances to support informed and compassionate care.

Choosing the Most Effective Frontline Treatment to Account for Patient Attrition

October 6th 2025

Experts discuss a key finding from FLAURA2 showing that many patients never reach second-line therapy, reinforcing the importance of delivering the most effective treatment—such as combination therapy—up-front, particularly when patients are fit, as real-world barriers and rapid progression may limit later opportunities for intervention.

Emerging Role of Neoadjuvant Strategies in Limited-Stage SCLC

October 3rd 2025

Panelists discuss how preliminary neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy data showing high response rates and pathologic complete responses in limited-stage SCLC appears promising but requires larger studies and careful patient selection given the complexity of staging and surgical candidacy.

Identifying Patients Likely to Benefit From Immunotherapy Approaches

October 3rd 2025

Panelists discuss how while emerging biomarkers like inflamed subtypes and MHC class I expression show promise for predicting immunotherapy benefit, current clinical practice treats all patients with immunotherapy since the potential for exceptional responses cannot be reliably predicted.

Real-World Utilization of Monotherapy and Combination Therapy in the Frontline Setting

September 29th 2025

Experts discuss the slow but growing real-world adoption of combination therapy for EGFR-mutant non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) despite strong FLAURA2 survival data, citing factors such as clinical inertia, comfort with monotherapy, and regional practice variations, while anticipating broader uptake as confidence, education, and infrastructure catch up with the evolving standard of care.

Discussing the Current NCCN Guideline Recommendations and Potential Changes Following FLAURA2 Data

September 29th 2025

Experts discuss the gap between current clinical guidelines and emerging trial data in EGFR-mutant lung cancer, highlighting calls to elevate combination therapies in treatment recommendations following robust survival benefits, while underscoring the continued importance of individualized care and patient-centered flexibility in frontline decision-making.

Understanding Barriers to Immunotherapy Uptake in Extensive-Stage SCLC

September 26th 2025

Panelists discuss how the concerning underutilization of first-line chemoimmunotherapy in extensive-stage SCLC may stem from clinical nihilism, lack of urgency in treatment initiation, and inadequate education about the substantial benefits these therapies provide to patients.

Pneumonitis Risk After Chemoradiation Strategies

September 26th 2025

Panelists discuss how pneumonitis risk management requires intensive patient education about symptoms, close monitoring for several months post radiation, and multidisciplinary coordination with pulmonology and radiation oncology teams to distinguish between radiation-induced and immunotherapy-related pneumonitis.

Identifying High-risk Patient Populations Benefitting From Combination Therapy in the Frontline

September 22nd 2025

Experts discuss the evolving role of combination therapy in frontline treatment for EGFR-mutated metastatic lung cancer, emphasizing that while survival data from FLAURA2 support broader use beyond traditionally defined high-risk groups, real-world factors and patient preferences continue to necessitate individualized, shared decision-making.

Evaluating How the FLAURA2 OS Data Will Impact Clinical Practice

September 22nd 2025

Experts discuss emerging consensus around the value of combination therapy in EGFR-mutated metastatic NSCLC, highlighting practice-changing overall survival data from FLAURA2 and emphasizing how intensified upfront treatment may now redefine the standard of care despite added complexity and toxicity.

Expert Perspectives on Patient Selection and Treatment Contraindications

September 19th 2025

Panelists discuss how patient selection for durvalumab consolidation requires careful consideration of autoimmune diseases, baseline lung function, and neurologic paraneoplastic syndromes, while emphasizing that most patients should receive immunotherapy unless they have severely active contraindications.

Insights on Immunotherapy Consolidation in Limited-Stage SCLC

September 19th 2025

Panelists discuss how durvalumab consolidation after chemoradiation has become the standard of care for limited-stage SCLC based on the ADRIATIC trial, with most patients being considered candidates for the 2-year treatment course.