After Practice Change in Unresectable Stage III NSCLC, Questions Remain

Data on the use of durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy transformed the standard of care for patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). “This is a real practice-changing observation from the PACIFIC trial,” said Robert A. Figlin, MD, the Steven Spielberg Family Chair in Hematology-Oncology at the Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in Los Angeles. He recently spoke with Meghan Mooradian, MD, an instructor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, about her team’s recent research assessing the protocol established by the PACIFIC study. “We really are hoping for a cure,” she said in describing how she makes decisions related to the timing of durvalumab after chemoradiotherapy. Dr. Mooradian also addressed toxicity concerns and shared what she sees as lingering questions related to disease progression. “What should we really be using next?” she asked.

Dr. Mooradian reported consulting or advisory roles with AstraZeneca, the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, Istari Oncology, Regeneron, and Xilio Therapeutics; and other relationships with Aptitude Health, Curio Science, DAVA Oncology, and OncLive/MJH Life Sciences.

Dr. Figlin reported various financial relationships.