Dr. Bazhenova on Ongoing Clinical Trials With Immunotherapy in NSCLC

Lyudmila A. Bazhenova, MD, medical oncologist and professor of clinical medicine at University of California, San Diego, discusses ongoing clinical trials in non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that are investigating the utility of immunotherapy.

Several ongoing studies are examining the role of immunotherapy after surgical resection, says Bazhenova. For example, an ALCHEMIST study is randomizing patients to nivolumab (Opdivo) versus placebo after they complete surgical resection and standard adjuvant therapy; the study is still ongoing.

Some pharmaceutical-sponsored trials that are very similar in design are also ongoing; these trials are examining the addition of immunotherapy to patients who received curative therapy for early stage lung cancer, concludes Bazhenova.