LUNGevity's July Newsletter Advocating for consistent terms for testing in precision medicineA LUNGevity-led consortium, the 41-member Consistent Testing Terminology Working Group, has released a white paper and launched an effort to adopt consistent testing terminology in precision medicine. The working group is composed of patient advocacy organizations, professional societies, and industry partners dedicated to identifying and adopting consistent biomarker and germline genetic testing terminology for patient communication. Research shows that actual testing rates lag far behind best-practice recommendations. The Working Group’s analysis indicates that a lack of consistent terminology around both biomarker and germline testing is one likely cause. Three umbrella descriptor terms emerged as recommendations from the Working Group’s milestone exploration: “Biomarker testing” was selected as the preferred term for tests that identify characteristics, targetable findings, or other test results originating from malignant tissue and blood; “genetic testing for an inherited mutation” and “genetic testing for inherited cancer risk” were selected as consensus terms for tests used to identify germline (inherited) mutations. Learn more about the white paper and communication effort in the press release. Download and read the white paper and other materials at www.CommonCancerTestingTerms.org. Exciting research findings by LUNGevity career development awardeeFour immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), a class of immunotherapy drugs that block the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway, have been approved for the treatment of lung cancer. Cancer cells produce PD-L1 protein to “hide” from the immune system. ICIs “uncloak” cancer cells and make them more visible to the immune system blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. It is not known how cancer cells produce large quantities of the PD-L1 protein. 2015 LUNGevity Career Development Awardee Kathryn O’Donnell, PhD, and her research team at UT Southwestern Medical Center recently demonstrated that lung cancer cells produce high levels of a protein called eIF5B, which turns on PD-L1 production. This is the first explanation on how cancer cells escape the immune system by producing the PD-L1 protein. We are proud to have supported Dr. O’Donnell’s important research. Learn more about this new discovery, and read the manuscript published in Nature. Lung cancer news from AACRIn his second update from the virtual annual American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) meeting, Upal Basu Roy, PhD, MPH, LUNGevity’s Vice President of Research, details interesting themes from the conference. Discussions around early detection and interception as well as understanding resistance to targeted therapies were key presentations during the event. Important topics such as COVID-19 and immunity, and disparities in healthcare, were also prominent. Read the full blog on our website. Adapting to a post-shelter-in-place environmentMake sure to stay up to date on important information by frequently checking out the COVID-19 and Lung Cancer section of our website. You’ll find several new interviews with healthcare experts about adapting to a post-shelter-in-place environment in which questions and concerns about life post-lockdown are addressed. Join us at the virtual ILCSC!Registration is now open for the virtual 10th Annual International Lung Cancer Survivorship Conference (ILCSC). The ILCSC provides a variety of opportunities to connect with other survivors, hear from world-renowned researchers on the latest treatments, and learn about ways to manage lung cancer and the treatment experience. Attendees will be able to immerse themselves in a realistic conference environment while safely gathering virtually with others affected by lung cancer to learn, connect, and find hope in today’s scientific progress. The virtual format for the traditionally in-person event allows for even more great expert speakers, sessions, and meetups that would not be possible in person. The conference will be held August 21-23, 2020. We hope to make this our biggest conference to date with the most lung cancer survivors participating! Register for free now at lungevity.org/ilcsc. Join our virtual meetups!Every week, LUNGevity hosts multiple small-group virtual Zoom meetups with patients, survivors, and caregivers who want to meet and connect with others like them. These meetings are capped at 10-12 people so you won’t feel lost in the crowd. Join us for virtual support, information, and friendship with your peers impacted by lung cancer! Learn more and sign up on our website. |