The 2021 Global Lung Cancer Therapy Landscape

J Thorac Oncol. 2022 Jul;17(7):931-936. doi: 10.1016/j.jtho.2022.03.018. Epub 2022 Apr 27.

Abstract

Introduction: The lung cancer treatment landscape has substantially evolved over the past decade. However, a systematic analysis of the current global drug development landscape has not been conducted.

Methods: We curated and analyzed a comprehensive list of therapeutic entities (TEs) in preclinical development and clinical trials for lung cancer.

Results: On the basis of our analysis of 707 TEs, we found a consistent forward trajectory in the development pipeline for both NSCLC and SCLC. Most of the TEs were in the advanced stages of clinical trials. Targeted therapies continue to dominate in the non-immuno-oncology space. Immuno-oncology targets are expanding beyond inhibitors of the programmed death-ligand 1 axis.

Conclusions: Our analysis highlights a robust portfolio of both preclinical and clinical TEs and suggests that lung cancer treatment is going to become even more biomarker-driven.

Keywords: Clinical trials; Non–small cell lung cancer; Preclinical research; Small cell lung cancer.

MeSH terms

  • Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* / drug therapy
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Lung Neoplasms* / drug therapy