Targeted molecular therapies for non-small cell lung cancer: Clinical Update
www.pulmccm.org
For too long, treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer was brutally simple: platinum chemotherapy and a trip to the attorney to get one's affairs in order. Fortunately for patients, it's not quite so straightforward anymore. Effective targeted molecular therapies for non-small cell lung cancer are now available, often taken orally with fewer side effects than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. The new treatments are in no way cures, but they can prolong survival and improve quality of life with advanced (stage IIIB and IV) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Only a minority of non-small cell lung cancers express mutations that make them vulnerable to the best targeted chemotherapy drugs. As additional drugs are developed targeting the known mutations, that proportion is growing -- along with the costs of treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Targeted molecular therapies for non-small cell lung cancer: Clinical Update
Targeted molecular therapies for non-small…
Targeted molecular therapies for non-small cell lung cancer: Clinical Update
For too long, treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer was brutally simple: platinum chemotherapy and a trip to the attorney to get one's affairs in order. Fortunately for patients, it's not quite so straightforward anymore. Effective targeted molecular therapies for non-small cell lung cancer are now available, often taken orally with fewer side effects than traditional cytotoxic chemotherapy. The new treatments are in no way cures, but they can prolong survival and improve quality of life with advanced (stage IIIB and IV) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Only a minority of non-small cell lung cancers express mutations that make them vulnerable to the best targeted chemotherapy drugs. As additional drugs are developed targeting the known mutations, that proportion is growing -- along with the costs of treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer.