Recent advances in the management of advanced non–small-cell lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality among men and women in the United States. Non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 85% of all lung cancers. Most patients with NSCLC present with advanced disease and median overall survival in this incurable setting remain dismal. Accumulating evidence suggests that both histology and molecular signature have prognostic and predictive value for NSCLC. Recent advances in the molecular characterization of NSCLC tumors have made individualized treatment approaches feasible. Personalized chemotherapy and targeted biological therapy based on a tumor’s individual biologic and molecular profile can optimize efficacy while minimizing toxicity. Molecular testing for activating mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) domain and EML4-ALK translocation are routinely used to guide therapeutic decisions. Several new treatments that irreversibly target EGFR family members are in development for patients with NSCLC. Novel EML4-ALK inhibitors such as LDK378 are promising agents with encouraging early efficacy data. KRAS mutations are the most common mutation in adenocarcinomas. Although no agents for this subset of NSCLC have been approved, there are several agents in clinical development, including selumetinib, an MEK inhibitor, that seem promising. A growing body of evidence suggests that NSCLC is subject to immune surveillance. Immunotherapeutic interventions, including vaccine therapy and antigen-independent immunomodulatory strategies, may improve outcomes in NSCLC. In this review, we summarize recent advances in non–small-cell lung cancer, with an emphasis on investigational strategies for individualized treatment.