Looking back and to the future: Are we improving 'cure' in non-small cell lung cancer?

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Date
2017-04Author
Walder, D
O'Brien, M
Type
Journal Article
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
In surgical series, cancer-free survival at 5 years is often referred to as a cure. In recent years, attempts to improve cure rates in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have focussed on earlier diagnosis through cost-effective screening programs. Systemic therapies have historically added only a small benefit to overall survival in both the adjuvant and palliative setting. However, in the last two decades, the development of new treatment options has added incremental improvements in NSCLC survival rates. Patients with a targetable sensitising mutation including epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutations and anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangements have significantly better prognosis, and many will survive beyond 5 years. Immunotherapy is an effective treatment in selected patients with NSCLC and is set to cause another leap in 5 year survival rates. Although these patients are not free from disease, survival at 5 years may become the more important end-point as NSCLC becomes seen as a chronic oncological disease.
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Subject
Humans
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
Lung Neoplasms
Antineoplastic Agents
Treatment Outcome
Immunotherapy
Forecasting
Research team
Treatment of thoracic tumours
Language
eng
Date accepted
2017-01-05
License start date
2017-04
Citation
European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990), 2017, 75 pp. 192 - 194