title: Emerging drugs for squamous cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The management of advanced NSCLC has been shifted by histology-driven treatment and molecularly targeted therapy, especially in lung adenocarcinoma. However, as the second most common histology in NSCLC, the treatment options for squamous cell lung cancer (SQCLC) remain very limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  The review first discusses the role of histology in management of NSCLC and new cytotoxic agents in SQCLC, and then addresses genomic characterization and potential molecular targets in SQCLC. The article then provides an overview for several major categories of novel molecularly targeted therapies and immune-based strategies with particular attention to ongoing SQCLC trials.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The key challenges in drug development are to uncover novel actionable targets and to identify predictive biomarkers. Progress in genomic analysis has identified some promising targetable genes and oncogenic pathways in SQCLC with a wave of targeted agents being tested in clinical trials. Immunotherapy has also raised great interest in management of SQCLC, especially agents targeting immune check points, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4, programmed death-1 receptor and its ligands. Better understanding of tumor biology and development of novel targeted therapies will help to facilitate more effective personalized therapy for patients with this devastating illness.
authors.affiliation: Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Oncology , 111 East 210th Street, NY 10467 , USA hcheng@montefiore.org.
authors.forename: Haiying
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shcherba
authors.forename: Karthikeya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kandavelou
authors.forename: Yuanxin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Huijie
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perez-Soler
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D057285:Precision Medicine / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: NSCLC; biomarker; new treatment; squamous cell lung cancer; targeted therapy