Oncologists Discuss Lung Cancer Treatment Options

Experts review the efficacy and side effects of TROP2-directed therapies for non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Updated on Oct. 21, 2026 in Cancer

Stainless steel medical tray holding a glass vial and forceps on a sterile surface, reflecting precise clinical oncology care. — Thoracic oncologists are refining treatment sequencing for EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer to optimize efficacy and manage therapy-related side effects. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Do you trust that new medical treatments are worth the potential risks of severe side effects?

Thoracic oncologists gathered on September 14, 2026, to evaluate treatment sequencing and tolerability for patients with EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. The panel assessed the performance of several emerging antibody-drug conjugates.

Why it matters

Selecting optimal therapies for lung cancer patients requires balancing drug efficacy against the management of specific adverse event profiles. Clinicians must navigate challenges like ocular access and the side effects associated with new TROP2-directed treatments.

A pooled analysis showed a 43% objective response rate for datopotamab deruxtecan, with median progression-free survival of 5.8 months and overall survival of 15.6 months. Adverse events included 60% stomatitis and 32% ocular surface occurrences.

The players

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The details

Physicians are implementing mitigation strategies like dexamethasone mouthwash and frozen oral mouthpieces to address stomatitis during infusions. However, limited access to ophthalmology services remains a significant hurdle in monitoring ocular surface events.

September 14, 2026: Experts held the OncLive Scientific Interchange and Workshop in New York.
October 21, 2026: Publication date for the retrospective report on clinical outcomes.

Health Landscape

This clinical discussion follows a pattern set by the EVOKE-03/KEYNOTE-D46 trial of sacituzumab govitecan plus pembrolizumab, which failed to reach statistical significance. Faculty skepticism regarding TROP2-directed ADCs reflects the broader difficulty in displacing current standards of care.

Patients may experience side effects such as stomatitis or ocular surface events, which require specific mitigation efforts like mouth rinses. Accessing specialized ophthalmic care remains a necessary step for individuals receiving these targeted therapies.

The takeaway

Clinicians are increasingly focused on improving the tolerability of lung cancer treatments to ensure patients can sustain long-term therapy. Patients should discuss potential side effect management plans with their care teams before beginning new antibody-drug conjugate regimens.