New insights into the molecular profile of lung adenocarcinoma and implications for therapy

Abstract

Lung cancer is a molecularly heterogeneous disease. The advent of next-generation sequencing techniques has significantly advanced our understanding of the complex molecular underpinnings of lung cancer. Furthermore, the development of targeted therapies has significantly altered the landscape of lung cancer therapy over the past decade. There is hence an increasing interest in developing a classification system that guides clinical management and also incorporates relevant genomic information. Here, we highlight the molecular features of lung adenocarcinoma as highlighted by several independent groups, and more recently The Cancer Genome Atlas and discuss their potential clinical significance.

Keywords:

• adenocarcinoma
• genome sequencing
• lung cancer
• molecular classification
• NSCLC

Financial & competing interests disclosure

R Govindan has served as a consultant for Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck, Covidien, Bristol Myers-Squibb, Genentech (Roche), Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.