Dr. Perez-Soler on the Future of Lung Cancer Therapies

Roman Perez-Soler, MD, Chairman, Department of Oncology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, discusses the desire to find targeted therapies and new driver mutations for smaller molecular subsets of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Genetic subtypes of NSCLC, such as those containing mutations in EGFR and EML4-ALK, have been uncovered and successfully targeted. However, important groups still require the concentration of researchers. Areas of potential focus include tumors that contain identifiable alterations but do not have associated targeted pharmaceuticals, subtypes without an identifiable driver mutation, and multiple aberrations implicated in a single tumor.

Perez-Soler labels the mutations currently being targeted as low-hanging fruit and the beginnings of a complex journey to a more desirable location. This journey will require research into complex strategies and new tumor pathways that focus on reaching a more desirable overall prognosis.

A cure for patients with advanced NSCLC may not be possible, notes Perez-Soler. A more plausible goal and approach for future inquiries may be to convert the disease into a manageable chronic disorder.