[ Special series on lung cancer 2 ]

doi: 10.1186/s40880-015-0036-4

Targeted therapies for patients with advanced NSCLC harboring wild-type EGFR: what’s new and what’s enough

Fei Zhou and Cai-Cun Zhou

Department of Medical Oncology, Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200433, P. R. China

[Abstract] Historically, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is divided into squamous and nonsquamous subtypes based on histologic features. With a growing number of oncogenic drivers being identified in squamous and nonsquamous NSCLC, this malignancy has been recently divided into several distinct subtypes according to the specific molecular alterations. This new paradigm has substantially highlighted the treatment of advanced NSCLC, shifting it from standard chemotherapy according to specific histologic subtypes to targeted therapy according to specific oncogenic drivers. The application of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in NSCLC patients harboring activating EGFR mutations has been a representative model of precise medicine in the treatment of NSCLC. As the role of EGFR-TKIs in routine management of patients with advanced NSCLC has been well established, this review provides an overview of alternative targeted therapy in the treatment of NSCLC, including EGFR-TKIs for patients with wild-type EGFR NSCLC, as well as other targeted agents either clinical available or in early- to late-stage development.

Chinese Journal of Cancer 2015, Volume: 34, Issue 7

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Fei Zhou and Cai-Cun Zhou. Targeted therapies for patients with advanced NSCLC harboring wild-type EGFR: what’s new and what’s enough. Chin J Cancer. 2015, 34:31. doi:10.1186/s40880-015-0036-4


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