Targeted Therapies Development in the Treatment of Advanced Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer
1Division of Medical Oncology, “S.G. Moscati” Hospital, Avellno, Italy
2Hospital Vall D'hebron, 08035 Barcelona, Spain
Targeted Therapies Development in the Treatment of Advanced Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer
Description
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of malignancy-related mortality worldwide with over a million cases diagnosed yearly. Nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for more than 80% of all lung cancers. Only a minority of NSCLC patients are suitable for radical treatment as curative care. Since most patients have advanced disease at diagnosis, chemotherapy is the mainstay of management. Conventional treatment of NSCLC has apparently reached a plateau of effectiveness in improving survival of NSCLC patients, and treatment outcomes must still be considered disappointing. Therefore, new treatment approaches are needed. The major progresses in the understanding of cancer biology and mechanism of oncogenesis have allowed the development of several potential molecular targets for cancer treatment which are components of signaling pathways or metabolic processes contributing to the acquisition of cancer phenotype. Several targeted agents have been introduced in clinical trials in cancer treatment, and a series of phase III studies have already produced definitive results. The main issues will focus on:
- Role of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in clinical practice
- Mechanisms of resistance to EGFR TKIs and development of a new generation of drugs
- Anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies
- The role of antiangiogenic agents
- Development of a new class of drugs
- The development of multiple targeted agents
- Molecular predictive and prognostic factors
- Methodology of clinical trials with targeted therapies
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