Molecular Targeted Therapy in Lung Cancer

Myung-Ju Ahn

doi:10.7599/hmr.2014.34.1.37

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Ahn: Molecular Targeted Therapy in Lung Cancer

Review Article

Hanyang Medical Reviews 2014; 34(1): 37-44.

Published online: 25 February 2014

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7599/hmr.2014.34.1.37

Molecular Targeted Therapy in Lung Cancer

Myung-Ju Ahn

Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Correspondence to: Myung-Ju Ahn. Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81 Ilwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-710, Korea. Tel: +82-2-3410-3438, Fax: +82-2-3410-1754, silkahn@skku.edu

Received 14 November 2013 Revised 14 January 2014 Accepted 22 January 2014

(open-access):

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer death worldwide. With advances in understanding of lung cancer biology and technology, there has been significant improvement in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) during the last decades through the development of targeted agents for molecular subgroups harboring specific genomic abnormalities. So far, agents targeting Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) have led to high and durable response rates in patients with EGFR mutation or ALK translocation. Also agents targeting VEGF improved overall survival even though a specific biomarker has not been defined yet. As more and more genomic alterations, such as ROS1, RET, MET, HER2, BRAF, FGFR1, DDR2, PI3KCA and K-ras, are being identified in NSCLC, new targeted agents for patients with specific genomic alterations have been developed and have showed promising results. Furthermore, promising results with immune checkpoint inhibitors such as CTLA4 inhibitors, PD-1 or PDL-1 antibody will shed light on further improvement of treatment of lung cancer in the near future. However, the evolving nature of cancer through the appearance of resistance to targeted agents and tumor heterogeneity would provide much challenge to conquer lung cancer. Unfortunately, since no significant progress has been achieved in targeted agents in small cell lung cancer, this review will focus on NSCLC and provides an overview of growing new targeted agents in the treatment of NSCLC.

Keywords: Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung, Molecular Targeted Therapy, Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Randomized trials of EGFR TKIs compared with chemotherapy as first-line therapy

NS, no significance; PFS, progression free survival; OS, overall survival; HR, Hazard ratio.

Table 2

Randomized trials of cetuximab in non-small cell lung cancer

PFS, progression free survival; OS, overall survival.

Table 3

Randomized trials of bevacizumab in non-small cell lung cancer

PFS, progression free survival; OS, overall survival.

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