FNAC in expert hands is fairly accurate for typing NSCLC and can be regarded as an acceptable procedure for diagnostic and medical treatment planning purposes in most NSCLC cases, especially when more invasive approaches are unfeasible. In poorly differentiated and doubtful cases, the use of ancillary techniques, such as immunocytochemistry, may be required to improve the diagnostic yield.

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Bevacizumab, currently an option for treatment of different types of tumors including glioblastoma, has a peculiar toxicity profile related to its antiangiogenic effect. Because some bevacizumab-related adverse events can be life threatening, it is important to identify risk factors and to establish treatment protocols to minimize treatment-related morbidity and mortality. In glioblastoma patients, the risk of developing certain side effects, such as gastrointestinal perforation, venous thromboembolism, and intracranial hemorrhages, is slightly higher than in patients treated with bevacizumab for other tumor types. We performed a systematic review of the side effects of bevacizumab and their incidence, causal mechanisms, and available treatments. Finally, we identified risk factors and proposed preventive and therapeutic measures for these adverse events. The Oncologist 2015;20:166-175Implications for Practice: Given the widespread use of bevacizumab in clinical practice, it is important to raise clinicians' awareness of the potential risks of this treatment. Our aim was to provide an overview of the most common side effects of bevacizumab and to suggest a practical approach for their management.

Most patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) present with advanced disease and their long-term prognosis remains poor. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies, such as gefitinib, have been subjected to comprehensive clinical development. Several phase II and III trials evaluated the clinical efficacy of gefitinib as monotherapy in pretreated patients with advanced NSCLC, as well as both monotherapy and combined with chemotherapy in chemotherapy-naive patients. A phase III trial (ISEL) in heavily pretreated advanced NSCLC patients demonstrated some improvement in survival with gefitinib compared with placebo; however, the difference was not statistically significant within the overall population. A large phase III trial in pretreated patients (INTEREST) demonstrated the non-inferiority of gefitinib in comparison with docetaxel for overall survival, together with an improved quality of life and tolerability profiles. In a large phase III trial (IPASS) in Asian chemotherapy-naive, never or former light-smoker patients with adenocarcinoma, gefitinib was more effective than carboplatin–paclitaxel in prolonging progression-free survival, particularly in patients harboring EGFR gene mutations. Gefitinib was a generally well tolerated treatment, with skin rash and diarrhea being the most common treatment adverse events. As a result, gefitinib is expected to have a large impact on the management of patients with advanced NSCLC, in particular in EGFR mutated patients.

FDG-PET assessment after 2 days of erlotinib could be useful to identify early resistant patients and to predict survival in unselected NSCLC pretreated population.