J. Raskin , B.I. Hiddinga MD, A. Janssens MD, PhD, P. Pauwels MD, PhD, J.P. Van Meerbeeck MD, PhD
Summary
Targeted therapies have transformed the management of non–small-cell lung cancer and placed an increased emphasis on stratifying patients on the basis of the presence of oncogenic drivers. The best characterised molecular driver to date is epidermal growth factor receptor. Selective oral inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor that are superior to chemotherapy have become available in clinical practice. Unfortunately progression develops after a median of ten to twelve months. This article provides a framework for understanding clinically relevant resistance mechanisms to epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors and strategies to delay or overcome resistance, both those clinically available and those in development.
This report will highlight 10 important studies presented during ESMO 2014, and 4 small but promising future directions in the treatment of NSCLC. The presidential symposium featured two negative studies in a large cohort of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients: the MAGRIT and IMPRESS. The other topics include immunotherapy, targeted treatment and biomarkers, development of new drugs in ALK-EML rearranged NSCLC, and prevention of cachexia in NSCLC. Lastly, an important study in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) was presented.
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