Molecular markers as therapeutic targets in lung cancer

Lung cancer is responsible for 29% of cancer deaths in the United States and has very low 5-year survival rates of approximately 11% in men and 15% in women. Although the early diagnosis of lung cancer may increase the survival rate with adequate treatment, advanced lung cancers are often metastasized and receive limited benefit from therapeutic regimens. As conventional treatments for lung cancer reach their limitations, researchers have attempted to discover novel drug therapies aimed at specific targets contributing to the progression of tumorigenesis. Recent advances in systems biology have enabled the molecular biology of lung carcinogenesis to be elucidated. Our understanding of the physiologic processes of tumor development provide a means to design more effective and specific drugs with less toxicity, thereby accelerating the delivery of new drug therapies to the patient's bedside.