Scientific Advances in Lung Cancer 2015

Abstract

Lung cancer continues to be a major global health problem; the disease is diagnosed in more than 1.6 million new patients each year. However, significant progress is underway in both the prevention and treatment of lung cancer. Lung cancer therapy has now emerged as a "role model" for precision cancer medicine, with several important therapeutic breakthroughs occurring during 2015. These advances have occurred primarily in the immunotherapy field and in treatments directed against tumors harboring specific oncogenic drivers. Our knowledge about molecular mechanisms for oncogene-driven tumors and about resistance to targeted therapies has increased quickly over the past year. As a result, several regulatory approvals of new agents that significantly improve survival and quality of life for patients with lung cancer who have advanced disease have occurred. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer has gathered experts in different areas of lung cancer research and management to summarize the most significant scientific advancements related to prevention and therapy of lung cancer during the past year.

In vivo study of tetraprenyltoluquinone, an anticancer compounds from Garcinia cowa Roxb

“…Once tumors had reached a measurable size of 17 mm, the tumors were harvested from the animals. Then, tumors were excised from donor animals, placed in sterile physiological saline containing antibiotics and cut into small fragments of approximately 2 mm 3 . Under brief diethyl ether anesthesia, a single fragment was implanted subcutaneously into the flank of each mouse using a trocar.…”

“…Serial caliper measurements of perpendicular diameters were used to calculate tumor volume. Data are plotted as mean relative tumor volume (mm 3 ). The mean time to reach Relative Tumor Volume (RTV) of 4 for vehicle-treated control group was 5 days whereas for TPTQ treated (800 mg/kg) group was 10 days.…”

“…1 There were 1.82 and 1.59 million new lung cancer cases and deaths worldwide, respectively. 2,3 However, significant progress is underway in both the prevention and treatment of lung cancer. 3 The development of new therapeutic approach to breast cancer remains one of the most challenging area in cancer research.…”

“…2,3 However, significant progress is underway in both the prevention and treatment of lung cancer. 3 The development of new therapeutic approach to breast cancer remains one of the most challenging area in cancer research. Many tropical plants have interesting biological activities with potential therapeutic applications.…”

The Current Landscape of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Emerging Treatment Paradigms and Future Directions

“…ALK (anaplastic lymphoma kinase) rearrangements are the driver mutation in 3–7% of NSCLC [1] with EML4 (echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4) as the most common fusion partner. Soda et al were the first to demonstrate that EML4-ALK fusion was a distinct oncogenic event in a subset of NSCLC [2].…”