FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2018
MILWAUKEE – The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) published the first clinical immunotherapy treatment guidelines for non-small cell lung cancer today, providing oncologists and other advance practice providers a clinical roadmap to treating this disease with immunotherapies approved in the United States.
“The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on immunotherapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC),” authored under the guidance of the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Subcommittee, was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), the society’s open access, peer-reviewed online journal.
“Treatment options for patients with NSCLC are rapidly evolving and now include immunotherapeutic options for almost all patients, and many in the first-line,” said Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, Chair of the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines NSCLC Subcommittee. “The SITC NSCLC subcommittee assessed the most recent data available, including results presented at meetings this year, to develop all-inclusive consensus recommendations that will greatly benefit the field.”
The SITC guidelines include consensus expert recommendations that serve to better inform clinicians about all aspects of NSCLC patient management during an immunotherapy treatment plan, including consensus statements on treatment scheduling of U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved immunotherapies, the use of predictive biomarkers and appropriate patient testing, and management of immune-related adverse events. The manuscript also includes discussion on how best to evaluate patient response on immunotherapies and whether patients with autoimmune disorders should be candidates for immunotherapy.
“SITC is pleased to expand its series of clinical guidelines into lung cancer, a disease state that has experienced rapid advances in patient treatment options involving immunotherapy in recent years,” said SITC President Lisa H. Butterfield, PhD. “The SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines are a critical resource for clinicians to fully understand the best treatment options available to their patients as therapies are approved.”
Upcoming Webinar with Leading Experts
Oncologists, nurses and other members of the cancer care team can continue their learning by participating in a free SITC webinar dedicated to discussion of these guidelines at 1 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018. The following experts will present and lead a question-and-answer session with participants during the free webinar: Roy S. Herbst, MD, PhD (Yale Cancer Center); Julie R. Brahmer, MD (The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins); Patrick Forde, MD (Johns Hopkins University); and Scott N. Gettinger, MD (Yale Cancer Center).
Details of this webinar, including how attendees can register, are available on the SITC website, SITC Cancer Immunotherapy CONNECT.
The SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines are a collection of unbiased consensus statements developed by leading experts to help oncologists determine when and how to best use immunotherapy to treat their patients. The NSCLC consensus statement is the society’s sixth manuscript published in its SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines series, which also consists of treatment recommendations for cutaneous melanoma, renal cell, prostate and bladder carcinomas, and hematologic malignancies.
About SITC
Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word “cure” a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
About JITC
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC) is the official open access, peer reviewed journal of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. The journal publishes high-quality articles on all aspects of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy, on subjects across the basic science-translational-clinical spectrum. JITC publishes original research articles, literature reviews, position papers and practice guidelines, and case reports; invited commentaries may also be commissioned by the journal editors. These articles, freely accessible at jitc.biomedcentral.com, make JITC the leading forum for tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy research.
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