Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses testing for microsatellite instability (MSI) testing in patients with gastric cancer.

Though MSI-high is a relatively rare subset of gastric cancer, it is very important to distinguish these patients, says Janjigian.

MSI status must be routinely tested, Janjigian adds, because even if patients do not meet MSI criteria, a higher mutational burden may increase their chances of responding to therapy.

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Dr. Janjigian Discusses MSI Testing in Gastric Cancer

Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD, assistant attending physician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses results of an early-phase study looking at afatinib and cetuximab for patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer.

This trial showed dramatic and durable responses in tumor shrinkage in patients with acquired resistant to erlotinib or gefitinib. Of those patients treated at the maximum tolerated dose, 29% experienced tumor regression — a substantial proportion of this group had tumor regression of greater than 50%, which typically translates to improvement in symptoms and quality of life.

Janjigian says that afatinib and cetuximab have overlapping toxicity profiles and that patients in this trial experienced diarrhea and rash.

Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD

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Dr. Janjigian Discusses MSI Testing in Gastric Cancer

Dr. Janjigian Discusses Afatinib and Cetuximab for Patients With EGFR-Mutant Lung Cancer