Press Release
May 03, 2018
Publication the First to Collectively Discuss All Five PD-L1 IHC Assays
DENVER – Despite very encouraging progress in the development and use of immunotherapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer, much confusion remains regarding patient selection for each therapy. There is no clear understanding among physicians, health care personnel or patients regarding which assay to use for programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) testing or whether the various assays are interchangeable because each assay was co-developed with a therapy. No publication to date has collectively evaluated all five of the currently available assays.
“This complex biomarker scenario—the likes of which we have not faced before in lung cancer diagnostics—poses many challenges for pathologists, oncologists and patients,” said Dr. Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Pathology at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and School of Medicine, and CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). “At present, although PD-L1 protein expression, as detected by IHC testing, is widely used as a predictive biomarker assay for anti–PD-1/ PD-L1 therapies, more information is needed regarding interpretation, assay usage for PD-L1 testing and potential interchangeability.”
As the leading global organization for lung cancer research, the IASLC recognized the importance and timeliness of this topic and its unique position to educate stakeholders around the world about PD-L1 testing. The IASLC convened an expert panel of authors to present current information about the emerging PD-L1 IHC assays, as well as to highlight both areas of clarity and debate. The authors evaluated the changing landscape of laboratory testing in general and then focused on the specifics of each assay and on the current controversies regarding PD-L1 expression testing in lung cancer.
Although this Atlas primarily aims to be a guide or resource for physicians and others involved in lung cancer diagnosis and treatment, it is hoped that this text may also eventually give patients a more comprehensive understanding of their current biomarker treatment options.
“Ultimately, we hope that through the creation of this Atlas, patients with lung cancer will receive the most contemporary and well-suited treatment options based on up-to-date evidence, and will feel more confident and knowledgeable regarding their therapy,” adds Hirsch.
The IASLC Atlas of PD-L1 Immunohistochemistry Testing in Lung Cancer will be released this Friday, May 5th at the European Lung Cancer Conference (ELCC). Hard copies will be available at upcoming IASLC meetings. The publication can be downloaded here in English currently and in several other languages in the coming year.
About the IASLC
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated solely to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association's membership includes more than 5,500 lung cancer specialists in over 100 countries. Visit www.iaslc.org for more information.