Abstract IA24: Lung cancer: Disparities and implications for immunotherapy

Lung cancer is diagnosed in nearly 225,000 patients each year in the United States. Majority of the patients present with advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. This is a major impediment to improving cure rates for patients with lung cancer. Lung cancer incidence rate is higher in African American (AA) patients compared to Caucasian patients. In addition, AA patients have certain important differences from Caucasian patients with lung cancer. They are more likely to be diagnosed at a younger age with lung cancer and also have a higher prevalence of smoking-related lung cancer. AA patients are more likely to present with poorer prognostic features, have advanced stage disease, and experience delays in receiving therapy. Consequently, the improved outcomes achieved with various novel therapeutic modalities in lung cancer have not fully benefitted the AA patient population.Systemic therapy is utilized for the treatment of nearly every stage of lung cancer. Platinum-based chemotherapy regimens have been used in all histological sub-types of lung cancer as cornerstone of therapy. In recent years, a greater understanding of molecular characteristics of lung cancer have led to the adoption of targeted therapies for certain patient subsets. Patients with an activating mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway are treated with specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Similarly, patients with the anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene rearrangement are trea...
Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Lung Cancer: Oral Presentations - Invited Abstracts Source Type: research