Drugs that boost immunity are making lung cancer less deadly

About 3% of people with non-small-cell lung cancer have an ALK gene mutation. Ten years ago, chemotherapy was the main treatment and typically halted tumor growth for about six months. Over the past decade, multiple generations of tyrosine kinase inhibitors have been developed to bind ALK proteins and slow or stop cancer cell growth. In 2024, the FDA approved lorlatinib, which has been shown to stop metastasis in ALK-mutated cancers for at least five years. Research has also focused on overcoming drug resistance and improving outcomes through immune-based therapies, new ways to target mutations, and higher-dose targeted chemotherapy. Immunotherapy has improved survival, including for NSCLC and potentially for small-cell lung cancer.

"About 3% of people diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a mutation in the ALK gene. Ten years ago, the best treatment for people with this form of the cancer - who are likely to be young, to have never smoked and to be diagnosed at a very late stage of disease - was chemotherapy. But the treatment halted tumour growth for only about six months."

"Over the past decade, several generations of drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have emerged to better combat this mutation. These TKIs bind to ALK proteins and slow or stop cancer cells' growth. In 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the newest of these TKIs - lorlatinib. The drug has been shown to stop the spread, or metastasis, of cancers with ALK mutations for at least five years."

"Much of the research into therapies for advanced lung cancer has focused on finding new drug targets and refining therapies to outpace drug resistance. Researchers are using therapies to harness the immune system, attack mutations in an innovative way and deliver high doses of targeted chemotherapy. The hope is that advanced-stage therapies that prolong people's lives will eventually be used to treat early-stage disease as well."

"Immunotherapy, which was first used for lung cancer in 2015, is improving survival rates. This is particularly true for NSCLC, the most common type of lung cancer. This type - often caused by smoking but also by exposure to radon and asbestos - accounts for as many as 85% of lung cancers. The therapy is also potentially effective for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), which is typically caused by smoking and accounts for only about 15% of lung cancer diagnoses."

Read at Nature