Lung Cancer

In her Introduction to this special issue, Lillie Shockney highlights how biomarkers influence the selection of best treatment options, the benefit of screening for lung cancer early, and how nutrition can combat unintended weight loss in patients with lung cancer.

Many biologic markers (biomarkers) are known to drive cancer and its progression, allowing scientists to develop new medications to target those biomarkers and increase survival for patients with lung cancer.

When lung cancer is diagnosed at an early stage, the chance of survival is much higher than if it’s diagnosed later, which is why knowing who should be screened, and when, is crucial.

Thoracic oncology nurse navigator Kammi Fox-Kay explores the benefits of meeting with a lung cancer navigator to ensure that you receive the best possible care available as well as important resources.

Dr. Sharon explains the impact of biomarker testing and targeted therapies on patients with non–small-cell lung cancer, highlighting the importance of personalized medicine in lung cancer.

Lung cancer is divided into 2 main categories that require different therapies. Most of the new therapies are for the common type, but recently, immunotherapy has shown promise for this less common lung cancer type.

This article highlights the new therapies targeting a specific biomarker that have become available for patients with non–small-cell lung cancer in the past 3 years, significantly improving patient survival.