The LCA Science and Research team just returned from the 2019 Targeted Therapies of Lung Cancer Meeting, and we have good news: treatment options continue to expand in the targeted therapies and immunotherapy space to treat all types of lung cancer. Here’s what we learned.

All of the advancements presented emphasize the importance of molecular testing/biomarker testing so that the best treatments can be chosen for a patient’s unique cancer.

There are currently approved targeted therapies for patients whose cancers have gene changes in EGFR, ALK, ROS, BRAF or NTRK. We learned that there is now also promising data on treating lung cancers with historically less targetable mutations, such as MET, RET, HER2 and KRAS. Patients can take part in clinical trials to access these new therapies.

Targeted treatments are also showing promise in combination with other targeted agents, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Researchers are also discovering the best order in which to give drugs and how to use the drugs at earlier stages of disease.

There is a lot happening in lung cancer research right now. Many clinical trials are actively recruiting patients to participate in them. In addition, we expect to see more treatment options for all types of lung cancer in the coming months and years.

By attending the Targeted Therapies of Lung Cancer Meeting and others like it our treatment and trials specialists learn about new advances. More important, this helps us to connect you and your loved ones to the latest research and treatment options.

For help navigating these new treatment and trial options, contact our LungMATCH specialists at 1-800-298-2436 or email support@go2.org.