Hodkinson PS et al. - In a review of research that indicates that growth factor signaling may be an important novel target in lung cancer therapy, this article outlines the important aspects of this translational research indicating the growth factor-signaling pathways identified in lung cancer, clinical trials of anti-growth factor therapy, and potential future research directions Methods
Lung cancer causes more deaths than any other malignancy in the developed world
Advances in surgical techniques and chemotherapy/radiotherapy regimes have produced only minimal improvements in long-term survival
Research has indicated that growth factor signaling may be an important novel target in lung cancer therapy
Results
Preclinical studies have demonstrated the role of extracellular growth factors in lung cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and resistance to cytotoxic therapy, and have elucidated the key molecular components of growth factor-signaling cascades
This has enabled the development of selective growth factor inhibitors, which have been evaluated in clinical trials and are now an accepted component of advanced lung cancer treatment
Further research is underway to improve the efficacy of this growth factor-targeted therapy
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