Molecular Alterations in Lung Cancer: Impact on Prognosis

Lung cancer is a devastating illness, and very few of the advances in chemotherapeutics have enhanced survival over the past decade. In order to make an impact on this disease, we must understand the molecular abnormalities to target better therapeutics. In this chapter, we will describe the better understanding at the molecular level that has been gained for lung cancer and its prognosis. Over the last decade, advances in molecular biology have provided important information about potentially significant determinants of prognosis in lung cancer (1 ,2 ). These molecular biomarkers are typically expressed in neoplastic lung tissue. Molecular abnormalities include chromosomal aberrations, telomerase expression, expression of oncogenes, and loss of tumor suppressor genes. Based on the understanding of the abnormalities at the cellular and molecular levels, newer therapies can be pursued.