Lung Cancer (Sept 2014)

A key to improved outcomes for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the ability to identify the wide spectrum of genetic changes present in tumors. Doing so will guide treatment decisions and influence the development of much-needed additional targeted therapies.

Development of immunotherapies that can alter the activity of T cells by targeting checkpoint pathways and determining their level of activity is well under way.

Despite the fact that LKB1 is deleted in nearly one-third of cases of NSCLC, no therapeutic strategies are available to target LKB1.

In one retrospective study, Berge et al analyzed records of patients with ALK rearrangements treated with pemetrexed followed by crizotinib, and reported improved outcomes compared with patients receiving crizotinib followed by pemetrexed.