Mind-mapping for lung cancer: Towards a personalized therapeutics approach

Abstract

There will be over 220,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer and over 160,000 dying of lung cancer this year alone in the United States. In order to arrive at better control, prevention, diagnosis, and therapeutics for lung cancer, we must be able to personalize the approach towards lung cancer. Mind-mapping has existed for centuries for physicians to properly think about various "flows" of personalized medicine. We include here the epidemiology, diagnosis, histology, and treatment of lung cancer-specifically, non-small cell lung cancer. As we have new molecular signatures for lung cancer, this is further detailed. This review is not meant to be a comprehensive review, but rather its purpose is to highlight important aspects of lung cancer diagnosis, management, and personalized treatment options.

Immunohistochemical Approach to the Diagnosis of Adenocarcinoma of the Lung

“…In adenocarcinoma, the prevalence of EGFR mutation is 45% in Pacific Asians and 24% in Caucasians, significantly more frequent in never smokers, women. EGFR mutations were significantly associated with adenocarcinoma in situ, minimally invasive adenocarcinoma, and lepidic-and papillary-predominant adenocarcinoma subtypes, whereas they were rarely detected in mucinous subtype tumors [8][9][10][11].…”

“…Oncological treatment depends of histopathological diagnosis on small tissue samples in majority of patients. Only 1/6 of our patients went under surgery after histopathological diagnosis on small tissue samples according to our previous investigations [6,8]. Molecular testings, particularly EGFR analysis could be performed on paraffin blocks after histopathological diagnosis.…”

“…The guidelines recommend a stepwisetesting: first, analyses of the most common mutations, EGFR and KRAS, are performed and, if the results of these are negative testing for ALK rearrangement [9][10][11]. Personalized lung cancer therapy is based on the individual access to the patient and avoid the toxic effects of chemotherapy improving quality of life and prolongate survival rate [8,11].…”

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Approval Summary: Erlotinib for the First-Line Treatment of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Exon 19 Deletions or Exon 21 (L858R) Substitution Mutations

“…Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), also known as HER1, belongs to the ErbB or human epidermal receptor family of tyrosine kinase growth factor receptors; EGFR signaling mediates tumor proliferation, invasion, metastasis, resistance to apoptosis, and angiogenesis [6]. EGFR mutations are present in approximately 10% of NSCLC patients in the U.S. [7].…”

Effects of cognitive education on the perceived control and symptom distress of lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: A randomised controlled trial

“…Mind maps are useful cognitive tools to firmly integrate knowledge and illustrate the relationship between related concepts (Mollberg et al, 2011). The mind map was reported to be an effective tool for teaching medication information about home care to patients in previous studies (Michelini, 2000).…”