Dr. Lilenbaum on the Rise of Immunotherapy in NSCLC

Rogerio C. Lilenbaum, MD, director, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the rise of immunotherapy in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The introduction of immunotherapy to the oncology space has revolutionized the treatment of patients with solid tumors and some hematologic malignancies, explains Lilenbaum.

Immunotherapy can lead to improved survival and quality of life compared with traditional therapies, says Lilenbaum.

According to Lilenbaum, the impact of immunotherapy in lung cancer is akin to that of actionable molecular alterations and targeted therapy.

However, immunotherapy has demonstrated utility in a larger percentage of patients compared with targeted therapy which is reserved for patients with particular markers, concludes Lilenbaum.