Immunotherapy Treatments for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

*Please note: This slide show is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your doctor about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Is immunotherapy right for your NSCLC? Evaluation

Is immunotherapy the right treatment for your non-small cell lung cancer? First, the doctor should do a complete evaluation, including biomarker testing of the tumor to look for genetic changes and a checkpoint protein called PD-L1.

Is immunotherapy right for your NSCLC? Staging

Your doctor will also consider other factors, such as:

• The stage of your cancer. This is a way of measuring how much cancer is in your body

Is immunotherapy right for your NSCLC? Treatment history

Your doctor will also consider other factors, such as:

• Whether you've been treated before and what treatment you received.

When might targeted therapy be a better choice?

Biomarker testing will tell your doctor if your tumor has certain genetic changes. If so, your doctor may recommend targeted therapy instead of immunotherapy because it will work better in treating your cancer.

Targeted therapies are drugs that attack abnormal changes in certain genes in the cancer cells. Like immunotherapy, targeted therapy is a kind of precision medicine which means that the treatment is tailored to the precise features of your cancer.

When is immunotherapy right for early-stage NSCLC?

You may receive immunotherapy for early-stage NSCLC when:

• The cancer is stage IB to IIIA
• The tumor has a PD-L1 protein level of 1% or higher
• You have had surgery and chemotherapy

Immunotherapy is usually given after surgery to help prevent the cancer from coming back.

When is immunotherapy right for Stage III NSCLC?

Your doctor may recommend treatment with the immunotherapy drug durvalumab when:

• Your cancer has spread into the chest or lymph nodes near the lungs but not to other organs
• You have had chemotherapy and radiation treatment and your cancer has not gotten worse

When is immunotherapy right as the first treatment for advanced NSCLC?

Your doctor may recommend that you start treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer with an immunotherapy drug when:

• Your tumor doesn't have the proteins EGFR or ALK
• Your cancer has spread to other organs
• You don't have any conditions like severe autoimmune disease that could make immunotherapy unsafe

Your doctor may recommend treatment with immunotherapy alone or with immunotherapy plus chemotherapy.

When is immunotherapy right as a later treatment for advanced NSCLC?

Your doctor may recommend immunotherapy if your cancer has grown or come back after you have had chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or both.

Even if your cancer cells don’t show PD-L1 or you have low levels of it, immunotherapy may still work for you after you have received other treatments.

Your doctor may recommend both an immunotherapy drug and chemotherapy.

What are clinical trials? Is a clinical trial right for me?

Clinical trials are tests to find out if a new cancer treatment is better than existing treatments. Ask your doctor if enrolling in a clinical trial is right for you.

What side effects can occur from immunotherapy?

Most people have only mild side effects from immunotherapy. However, sometimes the immune system can become overactive and attack healthy cells.

This can lead to more serious side effects, such as:

• Breathing problems
• Severe diarrhea
• Abnormal liver function
• Skin rash
• Diabetes

How are immunotherapy side effects treated?

Always talk with your healthcare team about any side effects you are having.

Side effects of immunotherapy are often treated with prednisone, a drug that suppresses your immune system. Your immunotherapy will be stopped until the side effects clear up.

References

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