Lung Cancer Research Paper

Lung cancer is one of most common cancer in the United States and worldwide. Furthermore, there are two types of lung cancer: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and Small cell lung cancer (SCLC). The most common type is NSCLC. There are three main subtypes of NSCLC: squamous cells, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. The number one cause of lung cancer is smoking cigarettes but there are also other factors that cause lung cancer such as exposure to radon gas, asbestos, genetics, and air pollution. The purpose of the research is to understand and look at the cause of NSCLC, mutated genes involved, specific treatments, and current scientific article on NSCLC.
Regardless of the extent of the cancer, location, whether the cancer has spread, and how far it has spread; lung cancer is always treatable. Cancer is the result of cells that proliferate in an unmanageable manner and do not die. Normal cells in the body follow a systematic path of development, division, and death. Apoptosis is called programmed cell death and when this …show more content…
Drug targeted therapies is one of the treatments involved in NSCLC patients. Some of the more common drug targeted therapies involve the drugs, Cetuximab (antibody that targets EGFR) and Erlotinib (blocks EGFR from signaling the cell to grow). Another major form of treatment of NSCLC is chemotherapy. Some mutations that cause NSCLC include EGFR mutations that occur at exon 18-21. HERS2 mutations can occur at exon 20. Inactivation of tumor suppressor pathways such as TP53 is another mutation involved in NSCLC. There is a current study going on which involves testing a new drug called dacomitinib. This is an emerging drug for HERS target therapy for NSCLC. Not only does it work for HER2 mutation but also it works for EGFR mutations. Although there are many drug-targeted therapies, scientists are constantly working on finding drug-targeted therapies as a treatment for patients with this