Thirty-four years since its discovery, NF-κB remains a transcription factor with great potential for cancer therapy. However, NF-κB-targeted therapies have yet to find a way to be clinically translatable. Here, we focus exclusively on the role of NF-κB in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and discuss its contributing effect on cancer hallmarks such as inflammation, proliferation, survival, apoptosis, angiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metastasis, stemness, metabolism, and therapy resistance. In addition, we present our current knowledge of the clinical significance of NF-κB and its involvement in the treatment of patients with NSCLC with chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and immunotherapy.
©2020 American Association for Cancer Research.