Lung cancer remains one of the most hard-to-treat malignancies globally, representing a significant burden on healthcare systems. It is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide and represents one of the neoplasms with the highest incidence. The most important risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. Increasing age is also a risk factor for lung cancer. Smoking cessation and the introduction of screening programs with low-dose CT scans represent relevant measures of prevention. Since the prognosis depends on the cancer stage, earlier detection is fundamental to provide access to curative local treatments, most notably surgery.
Recent years have witnessed remarkable strides in understanding the molecular landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the development of novel therapeutic strategies. The advent of precision oncology has revolutionized NSCLC treatment paradigms, with targeted therapies directed against specific molecular alterations such as EGFR mutations, ALK and ROS1 rearrangements and others. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (alone or in combination with chemotherapy) have emerged as a cornerstone in the management of advanced NSCLC, demonstrating durable responses and prolonged survival in a subset of patients. More recently, the introduction of immunotherapy in the perioperative setting allows for an increased cure rate in early-stage lung cancer. Furthermore, adjuvant targeted therapy was shown to improve survival outcomes in resected, EGFR-mutated NSCLC.
All these advances arise from a greater understanding of lung cancer biology due to translational and preclinical research. Addressing targeted drug resistance and finding new therapeutic strategies to manage disease progression to immunotherapy are top challenging priorities for the systemic treatment of NSCLC.
In this Research Topic, we will welcome original research, reviews, and other article types discussing the new avenues for enhanced diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer and a deeper understanding of lung cancer biology.
Potential subtopics for exploration include, but are not limited to:
• Exploration of potential prognostic and/or predictive factors of activity and/or resistance to treatment by analyses of tissue, blood or clinical features of patients.
• Clinical trials and case series focused on innovative treatments approaches of early-stage NSCLC and perioperative use of checkpoint-inhibitors.
• Comprehensive investigation into lung cancer regarding biology, radiology and radiomics, integration with other specialties such as radiotherapy and nuclear medicine.
Lung cancer remains one of the most hard-to-treat malignancies globally, representing a significant burden on healthcare systems. It is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide and represents one of the neoplasms with the highest incidence. The most important risk factor for lung cancer is smoking. Increasing age is also a risk factor for lung cancer. Smoking cessation and the introduction of screening programs with low-dose CT scans represent relevant measures of prevention. Since the prognosis depends on the cancer stage, earlier detection is fundamental to provide access to curative local treatments, most notably surgery.
Recent years have witnessed remarkable strides in understanding the molecular landscape of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the development of novel therapeutic strategies. The advent of precision oncology has revolutionized NSCLC treatment paradigms, with targeted therapies directed against specific molecular alterations such as EGFR mutations, ALK and ROS1 rearrangements and others. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (alone or in combination with chemotherapy) have emerged as a cornerstone in the management of advanced NSCLC, demonstrating durable responses and prolonged survival in a subset of patients. More recently, the introduction of immunotherapy in the perioperative setting allows for an increased cure rate in early-stage lung cancer. Furthermore, adjuvant targeted therapy was shown to improve survival outcomes in resected, EGFR-mutated NSCLC.
All these advances arise from a greater understanding of lung cancer biology due to translational and preclinical research. Addressing targeted drug resistance and finding new therapeutic strategies to manage disease progression to immunotherapy are top challenging priorities for the systemic treatment of NSCLC.
In this Research Topic, we will welcome original research, reviews, and other article types discussing the new avenues for enhanced diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer and a deeper understanding of lung cancer biology.
Potential subtopics for exploration include, but are not limited to:
• Exploration of potential prognostic and/or predictive factors of activity and/or resistance to treatment by analyses of tissue, blood or clinical features of patients.
• Clinical trials and case series focused on innovative treatments approaches of early-stage NSCLC and perioperative use of checkpoint-inhibitors.
• Comprehensive investigation into lung cancer regarding biology, radiology and radiomics, integration with other specialties such as radiotherapy and nuclear medicine.