Dr. Bueno on Gene Expression Signatures for Squamous Cell Lung Carcinoma

Raphael Bueno, MD, chief, Division of Thoracic Surgery co-director, Brigham and Women’s Lung Center, vice chairman of Surgery for Cancer and Translational Research, professor at Harvard Medical School, discusses gene expression signatures for squamous cell lung carcinoma.

Surgery is still the best chance for survival for patients with lung cancer. Patients with stage IA disease have a 73% chance of more than 5-year survival after a surgical resection. However, this number drops to just under 60% for patients with stage IB disease due to a patient’s high risk of recurrence, explains Bueno.

Data suggest that adding chemotherapy and radiation to surgery, depending on the stage, can improve overall survival. The dilemma, according to Bueno, is how to determine which patients have a higher risk of recurrence and why. Studies are ongoing as to determine this factor.