Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents roughly 85% of lung cancers, with an incidence that increases yearly across the world. The introduction in clinical practice of several new and more effective molecules has led to a consistent improvement in survival and quality of life in locally advanced and metastatic NSCLC. In particular, oncogenic drivers have indeed transformed the therapeutic algorithm for NSCLC. Nearly 25% of patients are diagnosed in an early stage when NSCLC is still amenable to radical surgery. In spite of this, five-year survival rates for fully resected early stage remains rather disappointing. Adjuvant chemotherapy has shown a modest survival benefit depending on the stage, but more than half of patients relapse. Given this need for improvement, over the last years different targeted therapies have been evaluated in early-stage NSCLC with no survival benefit in unselected patients. However, the identification of reliable predictive biomarkers to these agents in the metastatic setting, the design of molecularly-oriented studies, and the availability of novel potent and less toxic agents opened the way for a novel era in early stage NSCLC treatment. In this review, we will discuss the current landscape of targeted therapeutic options in early NSCLC.

Although first-line therapy for patients affected by advanced mesothelioma is well established, there is a lack of data regarding the impact of second-line treatment.

Tailored therapies based on the identification of molecular targets currently represent a well-established therapeutic scenario in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, while aiming to improve patients’ response to therapy, development of resistance is frequently observed in daily clinical practice. Intratumoral heterogeneity is a frequent event in NSCLC, responsible for several critical issues in patients’ diagnosis and treatment. Advances in single-cell sequencing technologies have allowed in-depth profiling of tumors and attributed intratumoral heterogeneity to genetic, epigenetic, and protein modification driven diversities within cancer cell populations. This review highlights current research on the biological role of tumor heterogeneity and its impact on the development of acquired resistance in NSCLC patients.

Lessons Learned: NGR-hTNF was safely combined with doxorubicin, showing a promising antitumor activity in unselected patients with relapsed small cell lung cancer. Similar antitumor activity was observed in platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant patient cohorts. Background: Relapsed small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients have limited treatment options and poor outcomes. NGR-hTNF is a vascular-targeting agent, which increases intratumoral chemotherapy penetration and T-lymphocyte infiltration. Methods: Twenty-eight patients relapsing after at least one platinum-based regimen with a treatment-free interval shorter (n = 16; platinum-resistant) or longer (n = 12; platinum-sensitive) than 3 months received NGR-hTNF 0.8 μg/m2 plus doxorubicin 75 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint of this single-arm phase II trial was progression-free survival (PFS), and safety, response rate, and survival were secondary endpoints. Results: The most common grade 3–4 toxicities were neutropenia (53%) and anemia (21%). Median PFS was 3.2 months for all patients, 2.7 months for platinum-resistant patients, and 4.1 months for platinum-sensitive patients. Seven patients had partial responses (25%), including four (25%) with platinum-resistant and three (25%) with platinum-sensitive relapse. Mean changes from baseline in tumor burden (after two, four, and six cycles) did not differ between platinum-resistant (−9%, −29%, and −32%) and platinum-sensitive (−11%, −20%, and −43%) cohorts. Overall survival was associated only with baseline lymphocyte counts, with median survival times of 13.1 and 5.2 months for lymphocyte counts above or below the median, respectively. Conclusion: NGR-hTNF plus doxorubicin showed manageable toxicity and promising activity in patients with relapsed SCLC.