Management of non-small cell lung cancer in the era of personalized medicine

Abstract

Despite major advances in the molecular definition of the disease, screening and therapy, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still characterized by a disappointing overall survival, depending on subtype and tumor stage. To address this challenge, in the last years the therapeutic algorithm of NSCLC has become much more complex and articulated, with different kinds of drugs, including chemotherapy, targeted-based agents, angiogenesis inhibitors and immunotherapy, and multiple lines of treatments, for patients with squamous and non-squamous hystology, EGFR mutation and ALK rearrangement. This short viewpoint describes the emerging strategies for the management of NSCLC, indicating how a personalized approach, characterized by a specific multidisciplinary involvement, implies a process that starts with early detection and includes surgery and systemic therapy.

Keywords: ALK; EGFR; Early detection; Immunotherapy; Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC); Personalized medicine; Stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR); Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS).