Molecular Pathogenesis of Early-Stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer and a Proposal for Tissue Banking to Facilitate Identification of New Biomarkers

Non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is one of the leading causes of death from cancer in both Eastern and Western countries. For patients with stage I NSCLC, full lobar or more extensive surgical resection is the treatment of choice. However, even among patients with surgically resected, stage I NSCLC, up to 30% of patients die of the disease within 5 years. At present, apart from clinical stage, there are no established cancer-specific clinical variables or biomarkers that reliably identify individuals at increased risk of death after surgical resection—individuals who could be candidates for adjuvant therapy or alternative management strategies. At a recent international workshop, participants discussed a clinical trial to compare radiation therapy with surgery among patients with stage I NSCLC. This study offers the opportunity to prospectively obtain, bank, and analyze tissue and other clinical specimens, which should facilitate the identification of new biomarkers for early detection, prognosis, and therapy in lung cancer.