Corey Langer, MD, has been a contributor to the advances that have occurred in treating lung cancer for the last 20 years. He notes that in 1990, a patient diagnosed with advanced lung cancer had few treatment options. And the drugs that were available were highly toxic and generally ineffective.
Today, that picture has improved significantly.
Patients with lung cancer today have the potential for living longer, often years, and enjoying a good quality of life. These improvements are the result of research that has led to a new understanding of the biology of lung cancer, as well as treatment programs that are multidisciplinary and personalized in their approaches.
New Radiation Oncology Treatments for Lung Cancer
For patients with bronchial tumors that can be removed surgically, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has contributed to improved outcomes.
Photodynamic therapy for lung cancer, (PDT) is a radiation oncology treatment that allows physicians to deliver highly targeted doses of anti-cancer drugs while patients are undergoing surgery. PDT is currently used to treat pleural mesothelioma in addition to some lung cancers.
Penn physicians and researchers are working on ways to improve the delivery of photodynamic therapy as well as how to combine it with gene therapy or other radiation oncology therapies for optimal outcomes.
Proton therapy for lung cancer, the most targeted form of radiation therapy, is also showing promise in treating locally advanced lung cancers. Penn has the largest, most comprehensive proton therapy facility in the United States and is actively engaged in developing protocols for the optimal use of this treatment for lung cancer.
New Chemotherapy Treatments for Lung Cancer
For patients who are not surgical candidates or whose cancers recur, the major improvements in treatment are in the form of more effective, less toxic drugs. The most recent therapies target specific gene mutations found in some lung cancer patients.
In 2001, there were no known genetic mutations associated with lung cancer, but today, more than half of the patients with lung cancer have an identifiable gene mutation. This has opened exciting new pathways for treating these cancers.
The most common genetic mutations in lung cancer are the EGRF and KRAS mutations. Recently the EML4/ALK mutation has been found in 5 to 7 percent of patients. Patients who have these mutations often respond very well to targeted therapies. Avastin, which stops the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumor, has also been shown to be effective in treating adenocarcinomas of the lung.
In the last 20 years the options for patients with lung cancer have expanded from few or none to an array of first, second, third and even fourth line therapies, many of which are based on an increasing understanding of the biology of the disease. Lung cancer remains a difficult disease to treat, but the prospects are improving.
Watch all the presentations from the 2011 Focus on Lung Cancer Conference here.
