Dr. Carbone on Immunotherapy Research in Lung Cancer

David P. Carbone, MD, PhD, a professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the exploration of immunotherapies as treatments for patients with advanced lung cancer.

The efficacy of immunotherapy in lung cancer represent the most exciting advancment in this space within the past few years, Carbone states. Prior to this, the greatest advance was next generation sequencing and the discovery of actionable mutations, such as EGFR and ALK.

A large majority of patients with lung cancer do not have an immediately actionable mutation. In these patients, immunotherapy may elicited a durable and effective response. Additionally, combinations of immunotherapy and EGFR- or ALK-targeted therapy could further improve outcomes, Carbone believes.