Present and future molecular testing of lung carcinoma

Adv Anat Pathol. 2014 Mar;21(2):94-9. doi: 10.1097/PAP.0000000000000012.

Abstract

The rapid development of targeted therapies has tremendously changed clinical management of lung carcinoma patients and set the stage for similar developments in other tumor types. Many studies have been published in the past decade in search for the most acceptable method of assessment for predictors of response to targeted therapies in lung cancer. As a result, several guidelines for molecular testing have been published in a past couple of years. Because of accumulated evidence that targetable drugs show the best efficacy and improved progression survival rates in lung cancer patients whose tumors have a specific genotype, molecular testing for predictors of therapy response has became standard of care. Presently, testing for EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangements in lung adenocarcinoma has been standardized. The landscape of targetable genomic alterations in lung carcinoma is expanding, but none of other potentially targetable biomarkers have been standardized outside of clinical trials. This review will summarize current practice of molecular testing. Future methods in molecular testing of lung carcinoma will be briefly reviewed.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy
  • Adenocarcinoma / enzymology
  • Adenocarcinoma / genetics*
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung
  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / genetics*
  • Drug Design
  • ErbB Receptors / antagonists & inhibitors
  • ErbB Receptors / genetics*
  • Forecasting
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Lung Neoplasms / enzymology
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / trends*
  • Molecular Targeted Therapy / trends
  • Mutation*
  • Patient Selection
  • Phenotype
  • Precision Medicine / trends*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics*
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • ALK protein, human
  • Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
  • EGFR protein, human
  • ErbB Receptors
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases