How will lung cancer be treated in the future?

Lung cancer is still considered the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in industrialized countries. Despite improvements in cancer diagnosis and therapy, the present 5-year survival rate of 14% is only slightly higher than the survival rate of 8% in the early 1960s. At present, a survival plateau has been reached by the current management of lung cancer, including surgery, chemo- and radiotherapy. Although prevention and early diagnosis are undoubtedly important, more innovative treatment approaches and new agents that affect alternate mechanisms in tumor cells are needed. Since molecular targets of tumorigenesis and metastasis are currently the focus of lung cancer research, this review will summarize the most important molecular approaches and clinical trials of novel therapeutics.