Drug resistance to molecular targeted therapy and its consequences for treatment decisions in non-small-cell lung cancer

Our ability to detect and directly target the oncogenic alterations responsible for tumor proliferation has contributed significantly to the management of lung cancer in the last decade. The therapeutic efficacy of molecularly targeted therapy is, however, mainly limited to patients harboring certain genetic mutations and is generally short-lived. Herein, we review primary and secondary drug resistance using the most well-studied of the molecularly targeted agents, the tyrosine kinase inhibitors targeting the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement, the current limitations of targeted therapies and their consequences on the management of patients with lung cancer.