Q & A Transcript: 2022 ALK Summit with Dr. Schenk and Dr. Camidge
There was an excellent Q&A session with Dr. Schenk and Dr. Camidge at the 2022 ALK Summit in Denver. Colin Barton, (Member of our Medical Committee), has graciously taken the time to list the questions and times on the video recording that is available on our ALK Positive Youtube Channel.
0:50 When do you recommend consolidative therapy?
1:46 Should our tumor markers be monitored regularly?
3:18 At what point can you reduce the frequency of scans?
5:03 What do you recommend when resistance to lorlatinib is occurring?
7:04 Is there a trial for local consolidative therapy in Denver?
7:30 What tips do you have for getting PET scans covered by insurance?
7:51 If you have the TP53 mutation do you recommend to do anything now?
9:06 If you are NED on an ALK TKI would you recommend staying on the treatment or consider doing a clinical trial before resistance develops?
10:13 If you are NED on an ALK TKI would you recommend doing LCT on lymph nodes where cancer was previously evident?
12:02 Can you talk about the research you are doing on looking at blood based immune signatures (eg lymphocytes, neutrophils, T cells, monocytes)?
15:16 I you have a pre-existing mental health disorder (eg bipolar) should you be concerned about taking lorlatinib?
16:24 Have you ever had a stage 4 patient that has benefited from surgery
17:28 Where we live oncologists do not automatically do a biopsy upon progression. What can we do about that?
18:50 What is the significance of having the reciprocal ALK EML4 translocation in addition to the standard EML4 translation?
19:32 What does it mean if an ALK mutation shows up on a liquid biopsy while taking an ALK TKI?
20:48 How do we get more collaboration between researchers at different institutions and companies?
22:23 Would you ever revisit using a TKI that you have used before?
23:04 Some doctors have suggested using the strongest ALK TKI available up front (currently lorlatinib). If you are doing well on an earlier generation ALK TKI, should you switch to the lorlatinib?
24:28 Should we be requesting a liquid biopsy at regular intervals to monitor for progression? If so, how often?