Dr Ticiana Leal: A Lot of Work Is Needed Regarding Early Detection in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer screening rates remain low nationwide, and there is a need to better educate patients and clinicians about the importance of screening, said Ticiana Leal, MD, associate professor, director of the Thoracic Medical Oncology Program, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine.

Transcript

How is early detection of lung cancer improving?

We still have a lot of work to do in terms of early detection in lung cancer. We have results of major landmark clinical trials demonstrating the benefits of lung cancer screening. However, the rates of lung cancer screening nationwide, they're really still quite low and range from anywhere to 2% to 4%.

I think it's really getting the word out there, establishing programs that are effective and can reach patients, but also educating clinicians about the importance of lung cancer screening for the population that it really has been shown to benefit, which are patients that have had a history of smoking or are current smokers and are high risk for lung cancer.

How have National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines evolved as new targeted therapies for lung cancer are approved?

The NCCN guidelines have had a major role in updating their guidelines quite frequently, given the number of increasing targets, increasing FDA approvals, and some of these approvals have been happening over the last 10 years. Over the last 2 years, we've had an increasing number of approvals for FDA with regards to targeted therapies. And so, the [NCCN] has had a major role in really evaluating this and putting this out there. We have several agents that are approved in front line for advanced non–small cell lung cancer with actionable mutations. And now we have agents approved in second line as well.

I think the NCCN guidelines are a major resource for clinicians, for patients, and for payers to really look at what's most relevant, what is most up to date, and sort of the best way to go for patients with regards to targeted therapies.