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The NCCN Guidelines for Squamous Cell Skin Cancer provide recommendations for diagnostic workup, clinical stage, and treatment options for patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The NCCN panel meets annually to discuss updates to the guidelines based on comments from panel members and the Institutional Review, as well as submissions from within NCCN and external organizations. These NCCN Guidelines Insights focus on the introduction of a new surgical recommendation terminology (peripheral and deep en face margin assessment), as well as recent updates on topical prophylaxis, immunotherapy for regional and metastatic disease, and radiation therapy.

Patients with cancer have widely divergent experiences throughout their care from screening through survivorship. Differences in care delivery and outcomes may be due to varying patient preferences, patient needs according to stage of life, access to care, and implicit or explicit bias in care according to patient age. NCCN convened a series of stakeholder meetings with patients, caregivers, and patient advocacy groups to discuss the complex challenges and robust opportunities in this space. These meetings informed the NCCN Virtual Patient Advocacy Summit: Cancer Across the Lifespan held on December 10, 2020, which featured a keynote presentation, multidisciplinary panels, and presentations from patient advocacy organizations. This article encapsulates and expounds upon the findings from the stakeholder meetings and discussions during the summit.

Patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) are at significant risk of developing brain metastases during their disease course. Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) has been incorporated into SCLC treatment guidelines to diminish the risk of developing brain metastases. In 2007, a randomized trial suggested that PCI decreases the incidence of brain metastases and prolongs overall survival (OS) in patients with extensive-stage SCLC (ES-SCLC) who have responded to initial therapy. However, this study did not include modern central nervous system imaging with CT or MRI prior to randomization. A more recent Japanese trial with MRI staging and surveillance demonstrated that PCI diminished the incidence of brain metastases but did not improve survival. This review examines the largest clinical studies, controversies, and future directions of PCI in patients with ES-SCLC.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) provide recommended management for patients with SCLC, including diagnosis, primary treatment, surveillance for relapse, and subsequent treatment. This selection for the journal focuses on metastatic (known as extensive-stage) SCLC, which is more common than limited-stage SCLC. Systemic therapy alone can palliate symptoms and prolong survival in most patients with extensive-stage disease. Smoking cessation counseling and intervention should be strongly promoted in patients with SCLC and other high-grade neuroendocrine carcinomas. The “Summary of the Guidelines Updates” section in the SCLC algorithm outlines the most recent revisions for the 2022 update, which are described in greater detail in this revised Discussion text.

More than 20 types of ALK fusion variant subtypes have been identified, including different fusion partner genes or EML4-ALK fusions with different breakpoints. However, different ALK fusions show different sensitivities to ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) and the emergence of rare fusions brings great challenges to the target therapy in clinic. We report a rare EML4-ALK (E6;A18) fusion in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma that responded well to alectinib. This is the second case of this rare variant reported but the first report of response to an ALK-TKI. This evidence is the first to show that alectinib may be effective for this rare fusion type of non–small cell lung cancer, and these findings have important implications for drug selection in patients with this subtype. Further studies are needed to understand the function of this variant.

More than 20 types of ALK fusion variant subtypes have been identified, including different fusion partner genes or EML4-ALK fusions with different breakpoints. However, different ALK fusions show different sensitivities to ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) and the emergence of rare fusions brings great challenges to the target therapy in clinic. We report a rare EML4-ALK (E6;A18) fusion in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma that responded well to alectinib. This is the second case of this rare variant reported but the first report of response to an ALK-TKI. This evidence is the first to show that alectinib may be effective for this rare fusion type of non–small cell lung cancer, and these findings have important implications for drug selection in patients with this subtype. Further studies are needed to understand the function of this variant.