Dr Jeon on Research Presented at an OncLive Lung Cancer Fellows Forum

“These [forums] are very essential and critical to have as early-career trainees. They develop a lot of collaboration and friendship among fellows that you may not even encounter if you don’t put them in the same place at times. They also give you different clinical insights from the various expertise that comes into the room, and that is a way for us to learn about each other’s research and also promote future collaborations for different research.”

Hyein Jeon, MD, a hematology oncology fellow at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, summarized key abstracts that were presented at an OncLive® Fellows Forum on lung cancer, as well as the importance of facilitating networking opportunities for oncology fellows.

Jeon began by saying that several compelling abstracts were presented at the forum, but one of the most noteworthy topics involved MTAP deletions in oncogene-driven non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Jeon explained that she was previously unaware of the high prevalence of MTAP deletions in this molecular subset, and these data provided valuable insights. Additionally, she noted that there was significant enthusiasm surrounding tarlatamab (Imdelltra) in patients with small cell lung cancer; further efficacy data with this agent in this population were presented at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting. Real-world evidence also contributed meaningfully to the topics of discussion at the forum, according to Jeon. 

An area of ongoing investigation is the optimal strategy for identifying appropriate candidates for tarlatamab, Jeon emphasized. She mentioned that this question has become increasingly relevant in her clinical practice, as she evaluates patients and reviews their molecular profiles. The emerging relevance of MTAP status also informs the interpretation of next-generation sequencing results and guides subsequent therapeutic decisions for patients with NSCLC, she highlighted.

Regarding the meeting as a whole, Jeon shared that opportunities like this are valuable for early-career trainees. Fellow-focused events foster collaboration, provide exposure to a diversity of clinical perspectives, and help establish professional relationships, she spotlighted. Bringing together individuals with varying clinical and research expertise creates a rich learning environment and promotes future collaborative research efforts across institutions, Jeon concluded.