For people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there are several different genes that may have changes, called mutations, in the cancer cells that can cause the cancer to grow and spread. One of these mutations found in some people with NSCLC is called an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion, which is found in the EGFR gene. In 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved targeted therapy drugs for this specific NSCLC mutation for the first time. Targeted therapy is a cancer treatment approach that uses drugs to target specific genes and proteins that are involved in the growth and survival of cancer cells.
In this podcast, Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, leads a discussion with Xiuning Le, MD, PhD; Marcia Horn, JD; and Vamsidhar Velcheti, MD, FACP, FCCP, about the 2 new targeted therapy drugs approved for people with NSCLC with an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation.
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What is targeted therapy, and how does it work? [4:16]
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Can all mutations found in lung cancer be treated with targeted therapy? [5:18]
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What is unique about testing for and treating cancer with an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation? [7:05]
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How common is the EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation in people with NSCLC? [10:17]
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In the past year, for the first time, there have been targeted therapies approved by the FDA to specifically treat NSCLC with an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation. There are 2 approved drugs. How does the first drug, mobocertinib (Exkivity), work to treat this cancer? [12:34]
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How does the other FDA-approved drug, amivantamab (Rybrevant), work to treat NSCLC? [14:18]
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How are these new drugs given to people with NSCLC? [16:23]
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What do these new drugs mean for people with NSCLC with an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation? [19:58]
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What questions should patients ask their doctors about these new treatments? [21:27]
Dr. Aggarwal is the Leslye Heisler Associate Professor of Medicine in the Hematology-Oncology Division at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Aggarwal is also the Cancer.Net Associate Editor for Lung Cancer. Dr. Le is an assistant professor in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology in the Division of Internal Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Dr. Le is also a Cancer.Net Advisory Panelist for lung cancer. Ms. Horn is the President and CEO of the International Cancer Advocacy Network (ICAN) and the executive director of the Exon 20 Group in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Velcheti is the director of thoracic medical oncology at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center in New York, New York, and is also a Cancer.Net Advisory Panelist for lung cancer.
Disclosure information for Dr. Aggarwal can be found in her individual biography linked to above. View disclosure information for Dr. Le, Ms. Horn, and Dr. Velcheti.
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