Preface – CSCO 2017

Caicun Zhou, MD, PhD Director of the Department of Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

Caicun Zhou, MD, PhD Director of the Department of Oncology,
Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China

Dear Colleagues,
In the global fight against cancer, clinical trials across multiple regions of the world have become common practice, with the ultimate goal to bring good medicinal products to patients around the world, as fast as scientifically possible. Safety and efficacy data generated from local patients are a regulatory requirement in many countries including China. As a non-governmental association, the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) holds its academic meeting annually to provide a platform for scientific exchange to oncology research professionals from China and abroad. The theme of the 20th conference, which took place in Xiamen from September 26th to 30th, was “Together we innovate on our inheritance”. Adhering to CSCO’s principles, the conference provided great opportunities for communications and cooperations in clinical oncology with a focus on Chinese patients. Clinical trials conducted in Asia have contributed considerably to the development of targeted therapies, such as EGFR or ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and immunotherapies, but also to the implementation of cytotoxic drugs. Particularly in lung cancer, Eastern Asia has evolved into a stronghold of cancer research over the previous years. From the point of view of thoracic oncology, the goal of last year’s CSCO meeting was to introduce the Chinese guidelines for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer and encourage innovation in clinical research in this area.
The large amount of clinical data coming out from oncology trials internationally presents an information flood and an increasing pressure on oncologists working on personalized medicine and biomarker research. This report of memo inOncology provides a concise summary of topics focused on lung cancer care, which were discussed at the CSCO 2017 Annual Meeting. It covers various subjects ranging from guidelines for the treatment of NSCLC in China, diagnosis and treatment of mutated NSCLC, different therapies for lung squamous cell carcinoma, the response to immunotherapy as well as the clinical care of lung cancer patients with brain metastasis.
Overall, the data presented at the conference highlighted progress in all of these areas. We hope that the implementations of the CSCO NSCLC guidelines, further drug development and the iden-tification of reliable biomarkers will make cure a feasible goal for many of our patients in the near future.

More posts

Determination of clinical responses to immunotherapy

In the past 13 years, an earthshaking change has occurred in treatment of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The emergence of two new treatment methods – targeted treatment and immunotherapy – has overturned doctors’ and patients’ perception of standard of care for NSCLC. However, not all of the driver oncogenes in NSCLC have been identified.

New insights into the treatment of ALK-mutant-positive NSCLC patients

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) is a fusion oncogene, and the prevalence of ALK mutations in NSCLC patients is similar across different races. At CSCO 2017, the main progress for the treatment of ALK-mutant-positive NSCLC patients related to the new recommendations for first-line and second-line treatments, and the optimal strategies to manage patients before and after resistance to ALK tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs).

Optimal strategy for the treatment of EGFR-mutant lung cancer

The emergence of EGFR TKIs has changed the standard of care in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients. IPASS was the first open-label randomized study to compare the first-generation EGFR TKI gefitinib with platinum-based chemotherapy in Chinese patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC. It showed that the disease-free survival (DFS) rate was remarkably higher in the gefitinib group compared to chemotherapy.

Different therapies for treatment of squamous cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) is one of the histopathological subtypes of non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and it accounts for 20 % to 30 % of these patients [1]. Unfortunately, few studies have explored the treatment options for patients with SqCC, and progress in SqCC treatment lags behind other histopathological and/or molecular subtypes of NSCLC [2].

Diagnosis of EGFR-mutated NSCLC: from guidelines to reality

Over the last decade, the increasing understanding of critical molecular and cellular mechanisms which drive tumor initiation, maintenance, and progression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have contributed to the discovery of various novel drug targets and the development of new treatment strategies.

Guidelines for the treatment of NSCLC in China: progress and controversies

Lung cancer (LC) is the leading cause of tumor deaths worldwide. Per year, 1.8 million people are diagnosed with LC, and the annual death toll amounts to 1.6 million. Non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type, which accounts for 85% of LC cases. Squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC), adenocarcinoma (AC), and large-cell carcinoma are subtypes of NSCLC.