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New targeted therapies for non-small-cell lung cancer

Giulio Metro and Federico Cappuzzo

Advances in the understanding of non-small-cell lung cancer biology have led to the clinical development of biological therapies targeting molecular mechanisms underlying cancer growth and survival of this disease. In some cases, such strategies have significantly improved the outcome of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy, as for the monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and bevacizumab directed against the EGF receptor and VEGF, respectively. In others, they have found a place in therapy in the management of pretreated patients, as for the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors gefitnib and erlotinib. Importantly, the recognition that certain clinical or biological characteristics predict for increased sensitivity to treatment has highlighted the importance of patient selection when designing clinical trials with these agents. This review is structured in order to summarize the targeted therapies currently used for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. In the latter part, biological agents under investigation are discussed.