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Treatment of HER2-Mutant NSCLC: Consequences of Delays and Strategies to Improve Timely Initiation
Timely initiation of targeted therapy is crucial for improving cancer outcomes and patient quality of life, especially for those with HER2 mutations.
This episode focuses on the clinical impact of delays in starting appropriate therapy for patients with HER2-mutant non-small cell lung cancer. The panel discusses how postponing targeted treatment after relevant mutations are identified can lead to disease progression, worsened patient performance status, loss of treatment opportunities, and increased risk of adverse effects, particularly if immunotherapy is administered before targeted agents. They highlight the importance of administering the most effective therapy first, noting that giving immunotherapy to patients with actionable genomic alterations may not only be less effective but could also complicate future care due to potential immune-related toxicities, such as pneumonitis and hepatitis. To address these issues, the discussion outlines strategies to promote the timely initiation of therapy, including routine use of comprehensive multi-gene next-generation sequencing, clear documentation of actionable findings, proactive treatment planning, and collaboration across the care team to ensure rapid and appropriate intervention when test results are received.
