From Wistuba and colleagues: New Strategies in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22461458

Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Mar 29. [Epub ahead of print]

New Strategies in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung: Identification of Tumor Drivers to Personalize Therapy.

Gold KA, Wistuba II, Kim ES.

Source

Hematology and Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Abstract

Treatment for non-small cell lung cancer has been improving, with personalized treatment increasingly becoming a reality in the clinic. Unfortunately, these advances have largely been confined to the treatment of adenocarcinomas. Treatment options for squamous cell carcinoma of the lung have lagged behind, partly due to a lack of understanding of the oncogenes driving squamous cell carcinoma. Cytotoxic chemotherapy continues to be the only treatment option for many of our patients, and there are no genetic tests that are clinically useful for patients with squamous cell carcinoma. Recent basic science advances have identified mutations and alterations in protein expression frequently found in squamous cell carcinomas, and clinical trials are ongoing to target these changes.