RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Systemic treatment in EGFR-ALK NSCLC patients: second line therapy and beyond
JF Cancer Biology and Medicine
JO Cancer Biol Med
FD China Anti-Cancer Association
SP 173
OP 181
DO 10.7497/j.issn.2095-3941.2014.03.003
VO 11
IS 3
A1 Niki Karachaliou
A1 Rafael Rosell
YR 2014
UL http://www.cancerbiomed.org/content/11/3/173.abstract
AB Lung cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, with adenocarcinoma being the most common histological subtype. Deeper understanding of the pathobiology of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has led to the development of small molecules that target genetic mutations known to play critical roles in progression to metastatic disease and to influence response to targeted therapies. The principle goal of precision medicine is to define those patient populations most likely to respond to targeted therapies. However, the cancer genome landscape is composed of relatively few “mountains” [representing the most commonly mutated genes like KRAS, epidermal growth factor (EGFR), and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)] and a vast number of “hills” (representing low frequency but potentially actionable mutations). Low-frequency lesions that affect a druggable gene product allow a relatively small population of cancer patients for targeted therapy to be selected.