Dr. Rizvi on Utilizing Molecular Characteristics to Inform Treatment Decisions in NSCLC

Naiyer A. Rizvi, MD, Price Family ​Professor of ​Medicine, director, Thoracic Oncology, co-director, Cancer Immunotherapy, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University Medical Center, research director, Price Family Comprehensive Center for Chest Care, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses treatment approaches in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). 

​Therapy for patients with NSCLC should be individualized ​and selected based on molecular ​abnormalities and PD-L1 status, says Rizvi.

However, patients with high PD-L1 expression and an EGFR mutation should receive targeted therapy rather than immunotherapy as oncogenic drivers are preferred to PD-L1 status, Rizvi explains. 

Moreover, in an era where numerous plasma​-based assays are receiving regulatory approval, molecular data should be thoroughly evaluated to inform treatment decisions before they are made, Rizvi concludes.