Abstract
Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Despite improvements in treatments over the past decade, advanced non-small cell lung cancer remains an incurable disease. The scenario, however, has improved for patients with site-directed mutations. Targeted therapy for lung cancer refers to the use of drugs that specifically attack molecular or genetic alterations present in tumor cells. This type of approach has revolutionized the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, especially adenocarcinomas.
The identification of specific mutations, such as mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor and rearrangements in anaplastic lymphoma kinase, has allowed the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors, which significantly improves clinical outcomes compared to traditional chemotherapy, in addition to being a better tolerated treatment. Other targets have already been identified and, today, the broad search for molecular targets is part of the initial evaluation of patients with advanced adenocarcinoma.
We live in a time of continuous evolution in targeted therapy and with better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to treatments, which has been explored in recent clinical trials. Previously a fatal disease, today, in a considerable number of cases, we are reaching chronicity. This is why the subject should be on the agenda not only for oncologists, but for clinicians in general. The objective of this review is to address the main targets related to the treatment of lung adenocarcinoma and the results of effective inhibition, discussing both classical therapies and new therapeutic approaches.