Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths both in men and women in the United States, with an incidence of ϳ213,000 new cases/year (1). Approximately 80% of lung cancers are classified histopathologically as non-small cell lung cancers. At early stages of non-small cell lung cancer, the only treatment is surgery, with a 5-year overall survival rate of 40% (2), whereas chemotherapy is mostly employed for small cell lung cancer. The majority of patients have developed an aggressive form of the disease by the time of diagnosis, limiting the scope for therapeutic intervention. At this stage, several genetic and epigenetic changes take place, resulting in epithelial cell hyperplasia and, eventually, dysplasia. These changes are attributed to silencing of tumor suppressor genes, dysregulation of proto-oncogenes, and an up-regulation of genes that promote cell growth and transformation and ultimately tumor development (3).