From the Editors
In the August issue of The Oncology Pharmacist (TOP), we feature results of a clinical trial presented at the 2018 American Association for Cancer Research meeting, which showed that the addition of the immune checkpoint inhibitor pembrolizumab to chemotherapy yielded significantly longer overall survival and progression-free survival compared with chemotherapy alone in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic nonsquamous non–small-cell lung cancer.
Results from another clinical trial, ALEX, were also presented at the meeting, and led to alectinib (Alecensa), a next-generation anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor, being hailed as a new standard of care for patients with ALK mutation–positive non–small-cell lung cancer.
In the October issue of The Oncology Pharmacist, we feature highlights from the recent Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA)’s Oncology Pharmacy Practice Management Program, including an article on the challenges of managing patients with non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) associated with ALK mutations. At HOPA, Jim M. Koeller, MS, Professor, College of Pharmacy, The University of Texas at Austin, discussed the current treatment guidelines for this patient population, emphasizing the need for pharmacist inclusion during testing for ALK mutations.