Top advances in lung cancer, 2021

• Published in: Cancer Vol. 128; no. 19; pp. 3434 - 3437
• Main Authors: Mohindra, Nisha A., Patel, Jyoti D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.10.2022
• Subjects: adjuvant therapy; Cancer screening; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - drug therapy; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - therapy; epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20; ErbB Receptors - genetics; HER2; Humans; Immunotherapy; Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS); Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - drug therapy; Lung Neoplasms - therapy; Mutation; Oncology; Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) - genetics; Sarcoma; lung cancer; adjuvant therapy; HER2; epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20; Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS)
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34406

Despite a global pandemic that continued to inflict chaos and confusion on the world, resulting in fewer cancer screenings and delayed surgeries, remarkable lung cancer treatment advancements were made in 2021. From immunotherapy in the adjuvant setting to the approval of the first‐in‐class, highly selective inhibitor of KRAS G12C, these treatment advances have significant clinical impact in patients with lung cancer. Lay summary There has been tremendous innovation in the treatment of nonsmall cell lung cancer. The year 2021 was marked by new approaches to adjuvant therapy and the availability of agents to target new subsets of nonsmall cell lung cancer. There continues to be tremendous innovation in lung cancer that is directly affecting patient care. Most patients with resected, PD‐L1–positive, stage II/III nonsmall cell lung cancer should consider adjuvant immunotherapy. There are several targeted therapies for patients with advanced nonsmall cell lung cancer, thus highlighting the need for broad molecular testing.