Abstract
The discovery of gene aberrations that drive cancer progression has led to new ways in classifying lung cancer and to the development of various molecular-targeted agents. Over the last decade, treatment strategies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients have rapidly evolved beyond conventional chemotherapy with molecular-targeted agents. Gene aberration in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) has successfully being targeted, and the corresponding tyrosine kinase inhibitors revolutionarily improved the survival of a subset of NSCLC patients. In addition to EGFR and ALK, other oncogenic driver mutations such as ROS, RET, MET, and BRAF have also been identified as minor mutations, and some corresponding inhibitors are in development with success in clinical trials. In the near future, lung cancer is expected to be routinely fractionated into minor populations based on their gene aberration status. This chapter reviews oncogenic mechanisms of minor gene aberrations in NSCLC and discusses the corresponding treatment strategies, mechanism of resistance, and how they are important in the treatment of NSCLC, with particular emphasis on ALK rearrangement.
Keywords
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Goto, H., Nishioka, Y. (2018). ALK and Others: How Important Are ALK and Other Mutations in the Management of Lung Cancer?. In: Kaneko, T. (eds) Clinical Relevance of Genetic Factors in Pulmonary Diseases. Respiratory Disease Series: Diagnostic Tools and Disease Managements. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8144-6_16
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