Dr. Cherington on the Use of Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy in Lung Cancer

Chad Cherington, MD, medical oncologist and hematologist, Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers, discusses the use of immunotherapy and targeted therapy in lung cancer.

The role of targeted therapy has grown significantly over the past few years as more targets have been identified and agents have become available for clinical use, says Cherington. Moreover, some patients are able to be treated with sequential targeted therapies.

However, frail and elderly patients with PD-L1—positivity <50% are typically given chemotherapy as opposed to targeted therapy because of their performance status, explains Cherington.

Developing novel agents to utilize earlier in the treatment of these patients may enhance outcomes, says Cherington.

Additionally, further investigation into optimizing treatment for patients who progress on immunotherapy is needed. Currently, data regarding the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) in advanced non—small cell lung cancer suggest that dual immunotherapy could become another frontline option for patients, concludes Cherington.