<![CDATA[Combatting Toxicities and Leveraging Novel Therapies in Lung Cancer Care]]>

Summary: Lung cancer treatments have gotten incredibly advanced, but they come with a big catch: unpredictable and severe side effects. Dr. Brian Henick, a top cancer doctor at Columbia University, is on a mission to change this. Right now, when patients have bad reactions to cancer drugs, doctors use steroids to calm the body down. Dr. Henick calls steroids a "blunt force tool" because, while they work, they cause new problems like weight gain, sleep loss, and high blood pressure.

Instead of relying on steroids, Dr. Henick's team looked closely at the blood of cancer patients. They discovered that specific immune cells (called T cells) are the secret culprits behind certain side effects, like arthritis. Now, doctors are testing a totally different medicine—a drug normally used for psoriasis—to fix these side effects without using steroids. By understanding exactly how the body reacts, doctors are creating smarter, highly targeted treatments that fight cancer without making the patient feel worse.

For more details, see cancernetwork at cancernetwork.com/view/combatting-toxicities-and-leveraging-novel-therapies-in-lung-cancer-care (opens in new tab)

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