Dr. Gold on Current Unmet Needs in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

Kathryn A. Gold, MD, medical oncologist, professor of medicine, UC San Diego Health, discusses current unmet needs in squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

Some of the most prominent unmet needs in the lung cancer paradigm are regarding squamous cell carcinoma, Gold says. For lung adenocarcinomas, actionable targets are established and there are targeted therapies are available for many patient subgroups, Gold explains. However, even when targeted therapy is not an option, chemoimmunotherapy appears to be more efficacious in lung adenocarcinoma compared with squamous cell carcinoma, Gold adds.

Although some patients with squamous cell histology respond to immunotherapy, it is rare and patients are still struggling, Gold continues. Moreover, despite the availability of molecular profiling, it is difficult to identify anything targetable and, even so, targeted therapy options are limited for this patient population, Gold adds. Ultimately, more research is needed to identify targets for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, Gold concludes.