title: Genomic architecture of lung cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lung cancer remains the most frequent cancer worldwide and the leading cause of cancer death in most countries. The molecular characteristics of lung tumors play an important role in clinical decisions, which ultimately affect patients' survival. This review aims to summarize the most recent genomic discoveries made on lung cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A relatively comprehensive molecular characterization has been achieved for the three major types of lung cancer: adenocarcinoma, squamous-cell carcinoma, and small-cell carcinoma. Little is still known about large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and carcinoid tumors. A major finding has been the nonnegligible inter and intratumor heterogeneity of lung cancer and their impact in the clinical management of this disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high load of mutations, the frequent inactivation of major tumor suppressor genes, and the huge heterogeneity of lung cancer tumors may complicate long-lasting therapeutic responses. The development of strategies for the early detection of lung cancer might translate into an increase of the number of surgical resectable tumors, and therefore contribute to improve the survival rate of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Group of Genetic Cancer Susceptibility, Section of Genetics, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC-WHO), Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Lynnette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Cuesta
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: McKay
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics*; D000077192:Adenocarcinoma of Lung; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000235:genetics; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000235:genetics; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics*