Dr. Aggarwal on Emerging Treatment Approaches in ALK+ NSCLC

Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, a medical oncologist at Abramson Cancer Center and the Leslye M. Heisler Associate Professor for Lung Cancer Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, discusses emerging treatment approaches in ALK-positive non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

There are several emerging approaches in this space, ​including the idea of targeting resistance mutations, says Aggarwal. However, this has not been feasible thus far.

Lorlatinib (Lorbrena) is a promising agent as it targets a number of mutations that emerge after a patient has been treated with a second-generation TKI, says Aggarwal. However, treatment following lorlatinib is not as well defined.

The true value of chemotherapy in this situation, along with the utility of lorlatinib in the first-line setting​ needs to be further assessed, ​Aggarwal says.

​These topics will be further discussed at the 21st Annual International Lung Cancer Congress^®, Aggarwal concludes.