title: Recent advances in squamous non-small cell lung cancer: evidence beyond predictive biomarkers.
abstract: Squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has always been characterized by a limited number of therapeutic options and by the lack of actionable biomarkers compared to its non-squamous counterpart. Recent clinical trials have led to the approval of new anti-neoplastic drugs available to both non-squamous and squamous NSCLC, consisting in a vascular-disrupting agent and two immune check-point inhibitors; additionally, a monoclonal antibody targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is currently under evaluation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While predictive molecular biomarkers have not been identified with consistency and are still highly demanded, these agents proved themselves noteworthy and can be considered a powerful addition to the available treatments for squamous NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: a UOS Tumori Polmonari , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro , Genova , Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Genova
authors.affiliation: a UOS Tumori Polmonari , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro , Genova , Italy.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rijavec
authors.affiliation: a UOS Tumori Polmonari , IRCCS AOU San Martino - IST Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro , Genova , Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grossi
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; 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; D017277:Drug Approval; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: EGFR; Non-small cell lung cancer; PD-L1; VEGFR; squamous; targeted therapy