A Personalized Treatment for Lung Cancer: Molecular Pathways, Targeted Therapies, and Genomic Characterization

Lung cancer is a heterogeneous, complex, and challenging disease to treat. With the arrival of genotyping and genomic profiling, our simple binary division of lung cancer into non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is no longer acceptable. In the past decade and with the advent of personalized medicine, multiple advances have been made in understanding the underlying biology and molecular mechanisms of lung cancer. Lung cancer is no longer considered a single disease entity and is now being subdivided into molecular subtypes with dedicated targeted and chemotherapeutic strategies. The concept of using information from a patient’s tumor to make therapeutic and treatment decisions has revolutionized the landscape for cancer care and research in general.