Post by #LCSM Moderator Dr. H. Jack West:

Earlier this month, the FDA made quick work of the application that Bristol-Myers-Squibb had just completed for Opdivo (nivolumab) for patients with squamous cell NSCLC that has previously been treated with standard chemotherapy.  This was a very rapid decision, which highlighted the improvement in median overall survival from 6 to 9.2 months. So where are we now? What are the implications of the approval, both in terms of future approvals and the current treatment options for patients? Will Opdivo be the default best treatment in the second line setting, replacing chemo? Will cost be a barrier? What are people’s expectations now that we are entering into a new era of immunotherapy for lung cancer? For the upcoming #LCSM tweetchat on Thursday, March 26, at 8 PM Eastern/5 PM Pacific, let’s discuss the implications and expectations around Opdivo’s approval.  Specifically, we’ll cover the following questions:

1. Given rapid FDA approval, should we be hopeful that FDA is now expediting approval of pivotal new therapies? Was this fast enough?
2. What do we expect/understand about Opdivo? Likely helpful for most pts? Are side effects a concern? Do folks expect it to cure pts?
3. Will people seek Opdivo in other settings, such as 1^st line or non-squamous NSCLC? Should coverage be expected?
4. What will role of immunotherapies be for #LungCancer in 5-10 yrs? Will it replace chemo? Be added to current standards? Cure pts?

There are no easy answers, but it’s exciting to have entered into a new era where the role of immunotherapy is likely to become better defined and will lead to marked improvements for at least some people with lung cancer. I hope you’ll join us on Thursday for the chat!  Please remember to include #LCSM in ALL your tweets so the other chat participants can see them.  You can read a primer on participating in the chat here.