Dr. Carbone on the Importance of Personalizing Immunotherapy in NSCLC

David P. Carbone, MD, PhD, director of the Thoracic Oncology Center; a professor in the Division of Medical Oncology; co-leader of the Translational Therapeutics Program; and Barbara J. Bonner Chair in Lung Cancer Research, at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—James, discusses the importance of personalizing immunotherapy for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The role of precision medicine has seen rapid progress in lung cancer, says Carbone. The field continues to move toward matching individual patients with targeted therapies based on biomarkers.

However, the high response rates that have been seen with immunotherapy in lung cancer poses the risk of reverting to a one-size-fits-all treatment approach where all patients receive the same immunotherapeutic regimen, explains Carbone.

It is important to select which patients should receive immunotherapy based on their likelihood of response, says Carbone. Research in this regard could shed light on novel therapies or combinations that could have utility in specific patient populations, concludes Carbone.