Plain language summary and patient perspective of the European Society for Medical Oncology expert consensus statements on treating EGFR-positive non-small-cell lung cancer

What is this summary about?

This article provides a plain language summary and patient perspective of a new set of recommendations made by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO for short). These recommendations are also called expert consensus statements. They cover the management of people with a type of lung cancer called epidermal growth factor receptor-positive non-small-cell lung cancer (EGFR-positive NSCLC for short).

Why were the recommendations developed?

The ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines are used by healthcare professionals when treating people with cancer, but they don't necessarily have all the information healthcare professionals need to make decisions for with people with EGFR-positive NSCLC. So, in 2021, 32 healthcare professionals who are experts in treating people with EGFR-positive NSCLC worked together to produce recommendations to fill these gaps about EGFR-positive NSCLC. This was called a consensus-building process and it also included patient advocates.

What recommendations did they make?

The experts discussed four main topics including how people with different stages of EGFR-positive NSCLC are diagnosed and treated, and how clinical studies are done. They reviewed the scientific information that exists on these subjects. They reached an agreement and developed the recommendations that are summarized here.