Prof. dr. Alessandra Curioni, University Freiburg, Germany

Bio
Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro, is the Head of Medical Oncology at the Cantonal Hospital of Fribourg and Full Prof of Oncology at the University of Fribourg.
In addition, she is the president of the Lung Cancer working group of the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (SAKK); she is the coordinator of the Lung Cancer Program at the European School of Oncology (ESO). In ESMO, she is faculty member of the group Investigational Immunotherapy and editor in Chief of the ESMO Daily reporter journal.
Prof Curioni-Fontecedro obtained her medical degree from University Campus Bio-Medico (UCBM) Rome, Italy. She did a double MD at the Department of Molecular Biology of the University of Zurich and at the University Campus Bio-Medico in Rome. Prof Curioni-Fontecedro’s was scientific physician at the Laboratory of Immuno-Oncology of the University Hospital in Zurich (Switzerland) and at the laboratory of Experimental Immunology of the University of Zurich.
She is principal investigator locally, nationally and internationally of multiple trials in the field of thoracic oncology.
The focus of her research lab is evaluating new combinatorial treatments and their underlying mechanisms of action in mesothelioma and lung cancer with the final goal to develop new therapeutical approaches. Her laboratory of Applied Cancer Research is at the University of Fribourg.

Presentation
For patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the decision to spare immunotherapy (i.e., to avoid its use) depends on several factors, including the patient’s individual characteristics, the tumor’s molecular profile, and overall clinical status. These factors include the presence of specific actionable genomic aberrations; severe comorbidities; conditions such as uncontrolled infection or other serious health problems may contraindicate the use of immunotherapy. These include patients with active autoimmune diseases and rapid disease progression or symptomatic central nervous system (CNS) metastases. New evidence is also appearing based on features from microbiota. The decision to spare immunotherapy in NSCLC patients is based on a combination of molecular characteristics, clinical factors, and performance status. It is important to assess each patient’s individual case thoroughly, considering biomarkers clinical presentation, and overall prognosis. Alternative options include targeted therapies, chemotherapy, or supportive care in scenarios where immunotherapy is unlikely to offer a benefit.