Podcasts, Videos and Webinars
ASCO Highlights in Lung Cancer Research
Over the coming weeks we will be posting a series of videos discussing presentations and news from the 2013 American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the largest cancer conference of the year. Dr. Jack West is joined by Dr. Nate Pennell, lung cancer specialist at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and Dr. Mary Pinder, from Moffitt Cancer Center.
Dr. Nate Pennell from the Cleveland Clinic discusses the key findings from the PROSE trial, a study that looked at whether a blood-based test could help us anticipate which patients are more likely to benefit from an EGFR inhibitor like Tarceva (erlotinib) or chemotherapy as second line treatment for advanced NSCLC. Drs. Mary Pinder and Jack West also join in with our thoughts about the potential implications of this work.
Dr. Pinder was one of the investigators very involved in a high profile trial called MADeIT, which directly tested whether we might do better with chemo by selecting a particular regimen for each patient based on molecular markers for the cancer. Here’s her discussion of the trial, along with another from Spain presented at ASCO 2013 that demonstrated no improvement in outcomes with this approach, and the implications of this work for treatment of advanced NSCLC today.
The next video covers a presentation on a project called “Biomarkers France”, a nation-wide platform to test for a collection of current and emerging molecular markers in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Lung Cancer Highlights 2012
We end our monthly live webinar series, co-sponsored by GRACE along with
LUNGevity Foundation, with our annual "Highlights in Lung Cancer"
program. This one, featuring the leading developments from 2012,
was be by Dr. Natasha Leighl, medical oncologist and lung cancer expert at
Princess Margaret Hospital, as well as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the
University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada.
She covered topics ranging from immunotherapy to new targets and potential targeted therapies, as well as newly identified mechanisms of acquired resistance and potential strategies for addressing this.
Her presentation opened with new information on potential treatment options for patients with advanced NSCLC that has an EGFR mutation.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Illustrations (pdf)
She continued her tour of lung cancer highlights with a discussion on XALKORI (crizotinib) for patients with either an ALK rearrangement or the newly identified ROS-1 rearrangement.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Illustrations (pdf)
Part 3 focused on exciting research presented at ASCO 2012 and recently published on the promising evidence of efficacy of selumetinib, one of a new class of targeted agents called MEK inhibitors, for the 20-25% of patients who have a KRAS mutation.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Leighl continued with a discussion of the challenges that many patients with squamous NSCLC face, typically not having a cancer with a “driver mutation” like an EGFR mutation or an ALK rearrangement.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Illustrations (pdf)
Small Cell Lung Cancer
Our webinar featured Dr. Antoinette (Toni) Wozniak, medical
oncologist and Professor of Medicine at Karmanos Cancer Center at Wayne
State University in Detroit, MI. She covered the background of the
initial presentation, evaluation, and then the key elements of our
current understanding of the best treatment for lung cancer. Finally,
she discussed some ongoing questions and potential new treatments in
this setting.
While SCLC was the source of much of the excitement in the field of lung cancer 15 years ago, the focus in the last few years has been overwhelmingly on non-small cell lung cancer. But SCLC still accounts for about 12-15% of lung cancer and over 20,000 cases in the US alone. It’s a big enough area in the field of lung cancer that it’s fitting that it be covered properly in our series of presentations on the field of lung cancer.
Refining Prognosis of Early Stage Lung Cancer by Molecular Features
Dr.
Johannes Kratz, surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, discussed
the timely subject of using molecular features of a resected non-small cell
lung cancer in order to better understand the probability of the cancer recurring.
Could these molecular features improve upon current staging efforts to help us
refine our recommendations of which patients should receive post-operative
chemotherapy in order to reduce the chance of recurrence?
Advances in Surgery for Lung Cancer
Dr.
David Harpole, Thoracic Surgeon and Professor of Surgery at Duke
University Medical Center in Durham, NC, is among the most highly
regarded thoracic surgeons in the country, for
his leadership and collaboration in bridging the gaps between thoracic
surgeons and other cancer care specialties, for his technical abilities
in lung surgery at a renowned surgical center, and for his forward
thinking in advancing the science of better understanding the biology of
lung cancer to lead us to better care for lung cancer patients.
He
joined us for a discussion of timely topics in the field,
from defining best standards of lung surgery, to the evidence on
minimally invasive lung surgery, to the potential utility of
sub-lobectomies for smaller lung cancers, to the use of biological
markers to help us better refine our recommendations for additional
therapy.
The first part of his presentation focuses on advances in lung cancer staging that been shaped by and also in turn shape lung cancer surgery.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 2 discusses techniques ranging from video-assisted thoracic surgery to robotic surgery to sub-lobar resections and other developments offering new promising alternatives.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Practical Aspects of Clinical Trials in Cancer: Myths and Facts
Dr. Suresh Ramalingam, Professor and Medical Oncologist at the Winship
Cancer Center at Emory University in Atlanta, GA, and the Chair of the
Lung Cancer Committee for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group
(ECOG), has been leading important trials in lung cancer
for well over a decade now and is deeply committed to improving
outcomes for patients. As Chair of ECOG's Lung Cancer Committee, he
also needs to ensure that the most important, timely trials are being
conducted, that they are appealing to patients, caregivers, and treating
physicians alike, that they are practically feasible, and that they
ensure the best care to participants.
Part 1 covers an intorduction to clinical trials
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 2 of his presentation reviewed how we develop everything from the basic premise of what the trial will test, how we develop the statistical tests, trial documentation, and the regulatory requirements leading to a clinical trial becoming available for patient enrollment at an institution.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 3 discusses several persistent myths around clinical research in cancer, countered with the real facts, and then included a highlighting of patient rights in clinical trials.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
The program closed with a question and answer session covering emerging challenges of doing trials in a new era of molecular oncology.
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf)
Dr. Dara Aisner on Molecular Pathology in Lung Cancer
Covering a topic that is more and more important every week, we'll be
featuring Dr. Dara Aisner, Co-Director of the Colorado Molecular
Correlates Laboratory and Assistant Professor at the University of
Colorado Department of Pathology. She's the one actually running all of
the studies ranging from EGFR to KRAS to ALK and ROS1, and
participating in the cutting edge research on future targets.
She talked about the process from biopsy to test results, the barriers
and ways to overcome them, and what we can expect molecular oncology to
look like in the coming years.
Part 1 covers basic concepts of what a pathologist does and what the new field of molecular pathology actually entails.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 2 covers the practical challenges of molecular testing on certain tissues, where to obtain biopsies from, and other current issues that we encounter in real clinical management as we struggle to make molecular testing more routine.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 3: Dr. Aisner’s Glimpse into the Future of Molecular Marker Testing
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
New Radiation Techniques for Lung Cancer
Our webinar program featured GRACE Vice
President Dr. Vivek Mehta, who is a radiation oncologist and Director of
the Center for Advanced Targeted Radiotherapy at Swedish Cancer
Institute in Seattle, WA. He covered several timely topics,
ranging from stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early stage
non-small cell lung cancer, integration of new radiation technologies
for locally advanced lung cancer, potentially curative focal radiation
for "oligometastatic" lung cancer, and the challenging option of
reirradiation within a previously radiated field.
Part 1 covers the history of history of radiation therapy and the key strategies for improving outcomes with radiation.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
The second part reviews the rationale for the new approach of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for early stage lung cancers in patients who are unable or unwilling to undergo surgery to resect their cancer.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
ASCO Conference 2012 Review
Our annual program on the highlights in lung cancer from the annual ASCO
conference, produced by GRACE in partnership with the LUNGevity
Foundation, featuring Dr. Joel Neal, Assistant Professor from
Stanford University, and Dr. Mark Socinski, Professor and Co-Leader of
the Lung Cancer Center of Excellence at the University of
Pittsburgh. The topics included a summary of the results and
implications from the newest and most important new studies being
presented at ASCO, the largest oncology meeting of the year.
Dr. Socinski on the PARAMOUNT trial of maintenance Alimta (pemetrexed):
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Socinski on Optimal chemo for marginal performance status patients with advanced NSCLC:
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Socinski on the TAILOR trial of Taxotere (docetaxel) vs. Tarceva (erlotinib) for EGFR mutation-negative advanced NSCLC:
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Socinski with an update on critical small cell lung cancer trials from ASCO 2012:
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Neal on Anti-PD1 Immunotherapy for Advanced NSCLC:
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Neal on Anti-MEK agent selumetinib for KRAS mutation-positive advanced NSCLC:
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Neal on the LUX-Lung 3 trial of afatinib vs. chemo as first line therapy for advanced EGFR mutation-positive NSCLC:
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Managing Pulmonary Complications in Lung Cancer
In
our next webinar presentation from the series co-sponsored by GRACE and
LUNGevity Foundation, Dr. Gerard Silvestri, Professor in Pulmonary and Critical
Care Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), covered
management issues for common complications in lung cancer. He
addressed issues like pleural effusions, obstruction of a bronchus (airway to a
part of the lung), coughing up blood, etc.
The first half of his presentation covers chemotherapy-induced pneumonitis.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
The second half of his presentation briefly covered pulmonary complications of targeted therapies for lung cancer, followed by a good discussion of the common problem of radiation pneumonitis and how it is typically managed.
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Symptom Management and Palliative Care in People with Lung Cancer
Dr. Stephanie Harman is the Director of the Palliative Care Program at
Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA who led a recent webinar
co-sponsored by LUNGevity and GRACE. This began with a brief discussion
of the distinctions between palliative care and hospice/end of life
care, as well as the growing attention palliative care is now receiving
from many professional societies.
This was then followed by her discussion of key elements of pain management, including the main types of pain, main treatment approaches, and myths that can limit correct use of opioid medications.
Part 1: Dr. Harmon on Palliative Care
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 2: Dr. Harmon on Pain Management
Video Podcast Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Immunotherapies for Lung Cancer: Can We Deliver on the Promise?
Part 1: Dr. Ramaswamy Govindan
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 2: Dr. Julie Brahmer
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Molecular Markers in Advanced NSCLC: Who to Test and What to Test For
GRACE and LUNGevity
Foundation hosted a live panel discussion from Santa
Monica, where the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer kicked off its12th Annual Targeted Therapies of the Treatment
of Lung Cancer Meeting. Host Dr. Jack West was joined by four great
luminaries from different centers of excellence and with different
perspectives on the timely issue of molecular testing in
advanced non-small cell lung cancer: Dr. Alice Shaw, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA; Dr. Charlie Rudin, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD; Dr. David Spigel, Sarah Cannon Cancer Center, Nashville, TN; and Dr. Glen Goss, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON.
Part 1: Dr. Charles Rudin on Molecular Markers in Lung Cancer
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 2: Dr. Alice Shaw on Clinical Factors Associated with Molecular Markers
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 3: The Merits of Uniform vs. More Selective Testing
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 4: The Promise and the Pitfalls of Broadening the Use of Molecular Markers
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf)
Part 5: Dr. David Spigel on Integrating Markers into Clinical Trials
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 6: Dr. Goss on Implementing Molecular Markers Across Health Care Systems
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Jared Weiss on 2011 Highlights in Lung Cancer
GRACE and the LUNGevity Foundation began 2012 with a
presentation of the most important developments in the field of lung
cancer from 2011 with Dr. Jared Weiss, Associate Professor in the Dept
of Medical Oncology at the Lineberger Cancer Center at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Weiss is also well known to many as
the Director of the Lung Cancer and Head/Neck Cancer sections of GRACE.
Dr. Weiss covered his view of the key highlights of lung
cancer from the last year, leaving some
time in the remainder of the hour-long program for a question and
answer session with the live webinar audience.
Part 1: Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Part 2: Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Mark Millard on Smoking Trends and Practical Cessation Strategies
GRACE
and the LUNGevity Foundation spoke with Dr. Mark W. Willard, MD, FACP,
Medical Director of the Baylor Martha Foster Lung Care Center and attending
pulmonary physician at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas,
TX. Dr. Millard will provided an interesting historical perspective
on how smoking patterns have been associated with changes in lung cancer over
time, as well as a practical review of a wide range of strategies that can
assist current smokers with cessation strategies.
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. David Yankelevitz on Evaluation & Management of Pulmonary Nodules
GRACE
and the LUNGevity Foundation kicked off November as Lung Cancer
Awareness Month by providing this webinar by Dr. David Yankelevitz, Professor
in the Department of Radiology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York,
NY. Dr. Yankelevitz has a tremendous expertise in assessing the
characteristics of lung nodules, how to follow and work up lung nodules, and
the implications for lung cancer screening. His approximately 30-40
minute presentation was followed by a question and answer session with the
live webinar audience.
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
ALK Inhibition: From Biology to Approved Therapy, with Drs. D. Ross Camidge and Ben Solomon
GRACE & LUNGevity Foundation presented a webinar reviewing the newly discovered molecular target of ALK rearrangements, the clinical evidence that led to the FDA approval of the ALK inhibitor XALKORI (crizotinib) in patients with ALK-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after it emerged as one of the most exciting developments in the oncology world over the past few years, and how it is changing the way clinical research in cancer care is conducted.
Dr. Ben Solomon spoke first, providing an overview of the (short) history of the EML4-ALK translocation and how crizotinib began to be studied in the first patients. He then took us on a tour of the highlights of both the efficacy data for this new agent and the side effect profile.
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Camidge led us through the second part of the program. His focus was on the practical implications from here: with a newly approved therapy of XALKORI tied to a rather uncommon molecular marker, who should we be screening for it? And what are the options for these patients after they develop acquired resistance to XALKORI?
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dr. Rogerio Lilenbaum on Special Considerations in Treating Elderly Patients with Lung Cancer
The median age of a patient newly diagnosed with lung cancer in the US
is just over 70, but most clinical trials in lung cancer are with a
disproportionately younger and more fit population than we tend to see
in the "real world". How should we actually treat patients who are
older and may not be as able to tolerate the treatments that are optimal
for younger patients? Should they receive the same treatments or
pursue a more customized strategy?
GRACE and the LUNGevity
Foundation are very pleased to partner in providing this free webinar by Dr.
Rogerio Lilenbaum, Chair of the Department of Hematology/Oncology at the
Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Weston, FL and a world-renowned expert
in lung cancer in general and management of elderly and "poor risk"
patients with lung cancer as a particular specialty.
Audio podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Dermatologic side effects of anti-cancer therapies
Dr. Mario Lacouture, a dermatologist now on faculty and running a busy
clinic at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, joined us to do a
webinar on Healthy Skin for People Living with Lung Cancer: Managing
Dermatologic Symptoms and Side Effects.” It covers prevention and treatment of problems involving skin, hair, and nails in cancer patients.
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Post-ASCO Highlights in Lung Cancer Research
LUNGevity Foundation and GRACE bring you a discussion of the highlights in lung cancer research from the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the largest cancer conference of the year.
Dr.
Mary Pinder from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL discussed the most interesting work in early stage and locally advanced
non-small
cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, and other less common thoracic
malignancies like mesothelioma.
Dr. Pinder: Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf)
Then Dr. Nasser Hanna from Indiana University Cancer Center discussed the new work on advanced/metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. A Q&A session follows.
Dr. Hanna: Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Question and Answer session: Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Radiation for Prevention and Management of
Brain Metastases in Lung Cancer
With Dr. Minesh Mehta, Professor of
Radiation Oncology at Northwestern
University.
Audio and transcripts:
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
Acquired Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors (Pt 1)
Dr. Lecia Sequist, medical oncologist and lung cancer expert from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), recently joined us for a live webinar by LUNGevity Foundation and GRACE.
Audio Podcast Video Transcript (pdf) Presentation (pdf)
Acquired Resistance to EGFR Inhibitors (Pt 2)
At the time of her Dr. Sequist's first presentation, she was unable to discuss some very new work that was about to be published on their experience at MGH in repeating biopsies on patients over the course of their ongoing treatment, and the interesting and sometimes treatment-changing results they found.
This second podcast includes her presentation on this very timely information that was, surprising to many in the lung cancer community, as well as to the investigators themselves. The presentation is in video and audio podcast forms, along with the associated transcript and figures.
Audio PodcastTranscript (pdf) Presentation (pdf)
Challenging Cases in Lung Cancer Series
This is a series of podcasts developed in partnership with GRACE, in which Dr. Jack West presents the same challenging cases in lung cancer management to a series of experts to learn the range of views offered by them, then the multiple thoughtful comments by all of them discussing the same single featured case for each podcast.
The first case is a discussion of how they would approach a patient who has a small primary tumor that also has a separate microscopic satellite lesion nearby. Here are the links to the audio and video versions of the podcast (there isn’t a lot of video to see), along with the transcript:
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf)
This case is of a woman with a tumor that is in the range that is smaller than that for which we would routinely recommend post-operative (adjuvant) chemotherapy to reduce the risk of recurrence, but the tumor has some higher risk features that lead her, and might lead us, to be more inclined to recommend it despite the smaller size of the tumor (which is still within a pretty debatable range).
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf)
This discussion is on the common but vexing scenario of a patient with mediastinal node-positive (stage IIIA N2) NSCLC. This is among the most controversial clinical settings in lung cancer, as illustrated by the wide range of answers of how the experts in this program would manage the same patient.
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf)
This particular case is one we struggle with all the time. Once someone with unresectable stage III NSCLC has completed initial chemo/radiation, typically over an approximately seven week period, should we recommend any additional treatment after that.
Audio Podcast Transcript (pdf) Illustrations (pdf)
The information provided in the Ask the Experts section is provided by GRACE.
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