Molecular biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma

The identification of oncogenic driver alterations that underlie sensitivity to small inhibitors has led to growing interest in identifying additional targetable oncogenes in nonsmall cell lung cancer. Although the therapeutic impact of the discovery of these alterations has now been widely demonstrated, the epidemiological data associated with each of these biomarkers remain insufficiently studied. In this review, we discuss the techniques used to discover each of these candidate oncogenes, their prevalence in nonsmall cell lung cancer, and briefly outline the epidemiological features of the major oncogenes and ways in which their identification can determine therapeutic strategies.