KRAS Lung Cancer: Taking on Goliath Discussion by Jai Luo MD
- Synopsis below extracted from the video transcript.
Jai Luo, MD, a thoracic medical oncologist at Dana Farber, recently gave a talk at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) called "Taking on Goliath: Targeting KRAS in Lung Cancer." KRAS lung cancer is the most common form of oncogene-driven non-small cell lung cancer, accounting for 25% of individuals with non-small cell lung cancer and about 50,000 individuals in the United States per year alone.
Luo explained that KRAS-driven non-small cell lung cancers tend to have a higher tumor mutation burden due to the carcinogenesis from tobacco exposure, and these individuals tend to benefit from immunotherapy-based treatments because of the more immune-infiltrated cells present in the tumor microenvironment. The KRAS G12C allele is the most common type of KRAS lung cancer, and it is a slightly different type of KRAS lung cancer than other KRAS alleles.
Sotorasib, the first inhibitor for KRAS G12C, was FDA-approved in 2021, and Adagrasib has already been submitted to the FDA as a new drug designation. In ASCO 2022, there were multiple updates on promising treatments, and over a dozen other KRAS G12C inhibitors are under development. Additionally, non-G12C targeting medicines are being developed, highlighting the progress in medicinal chemistry and drug development.
Luo stressed the importance of testing all patients who have advanced non-small cell lung cancer for KRAS alterations, not just by medical oncologists but also by proceduralists, pathologists, and others. With the many molecules being developed in the clinic and the excitement in this field, Luo believes that we should keep up the momentum to continue developing new treatments for both KRAS G12C lung cancer and other subsets of KRAS lung cancers.
