Summary
Leading lung cancer specialists discuss revolutionary advances in treating EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer, highlighting how new combination therapies like amivantamab plus chemotherapy are doubling progression-free survival and offering hope for patients with challenging complications like leptomeningeal metastases, while emphasizing practical strategies for managing treatment side effects in community practice.
This expert discussion reveals how treating EGFR-mutated lung cancer has transformed dramatically over the past 20 years, moving from single drugs to sophisticated combination therapies. Instead of accepting that patients will inevitably progress after 17-18 months on standard treatment, doctors now have multiple options based on specific resistance patterns.
The current approach recognizes that each patient’s cancer develops resistance differently. A new generation of treatments, including bispecific antibodies like amivantamab and antibody-drug conjugates, are changing outcomes for patients who previously had limited options.
By sharing real-world examples, including a patient with severe leptomeningeal disease who went from barely being able to sit up to walking into clinic, these experts demonstrate how personalized treatment selection makes a dramatic difference. This includes managing challenging side effects proactively rather than reactively.
This evolving treatment landscape offers renewed hope for the thousands diagnosed with EGFR-mutated lung cancer each year, particularly those facing complications like brain metastases that were once considered untreatable.
