Dr. Scagliotti on Targeted Therapies and Chemotherapy

Giorgio V. Scagliotti, MD, PhD, head of the Thoracic Oncology Unit, Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin, San Luigi Hospital, Orbassano, Italy, discusses the administration of targeted therapies and chemotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Scagliotti believes that chemotherapy and targeted therapies can be used together, when given sequentially. As an example, patents that develop an acquired mutation in T790M after receiving an EGFR targeted therapy may be more sensitive to chemotherapy. Additionally, trials have shown that patients with ALK translocations demonstrate lower TS RNA levels, denoting sensitivity to pemetrexed.

Overall, targeted therapies and chemotherapy should not be used concomitantly, Scagliotti believes. But in the near future, for a molecularly defined patient population, targeted therapies could be combined in a sequential fashion with cytotoxic chemotherapies for patients with NSCLC.