Non small cell lung cancer pathogenesis

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide as well as in the United States, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) being the most frequent type. Most patients with advanced or metastatic lung cancer are treated with chemotherapy regimens that provide an overall survival of less than 1 year, with significant safety and tolerability concerns.¹ Due to these poor results in patients with advanced NSCLC, there has been significant research into the identification of new treatment strategies for this disease.

Understanding the molecular biology and pathogenesis of NSCLC has given rise to the identification of targeted therapies. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family is a group of receptors implicated in the development of NSCLC. Tumor cell signaling, which includes the interaction of growth factors with their cognate receptors (eg, EGFR/HER1, HER2) facilitates signaling of downstream pathways.² Angiogenesis, or the development of new vessels, requires the interaction of growth factors (eg, fibroblast growth factor [FGF], platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF], vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF]) with their receptors (FGFR, PDGFR, VEGFR) located on the vasculature.^{3, 4}

1. Giaccone G. Clin Cancer Res. 2007;13(7):1961-1970.

2. Herbst RS, Heymach JV, Lippman SM. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(13):1367-1380.

3. Ferrara N, Kerbel RS. Nature. 2005;438(7070):967-974.

4. Armulik A, Abramsson A, Betsholtz C. Circ Res. 2005;97(6):512-523.