Molecular prognostic factors in resectable non-small cell lung cancer

Lung cancer retains the leading position in cancer-related deaths in the western countries. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) comprises more than 80% of lung cancers, and complete surgical resection of primary tumors in early-stage disease is the only potentially curative treatment. One area of intense research on early-stage NSCLC is the identification of molecular markers to complement TNM staging to fully assess the prognosis of patients and to define innovative strategies. Numerous prognostic factors have been identified in patients with early-stage NSCLC that might enable classification of such patients into different subsets corresponding to different risks of recurrence following complete resection. Most of the markers are proteins that can be detected by immunohistochemistry assays based on the antigen-antibody reaction. The present review aims at providing a panorama on classical as well as new prognostic markers. Of special interest are some molecular factors, already or currently tested from a prognostic point of view, that might also become good candidates for predicting treatment efficacy.