Did You Know?

Bonnie J. Addario was the CEO of an oil company. Click here to learn how she channeled her lung cancer diagnosis and the passing of Superman’s real-life wife more than a decade ago into one of the leading patient advocacy and support organizations for lung cancer patients and their loved ones.

When medical researcher Stanley Cohen injected newborn mice with salivary gland extract, he observed that they opened their eyes and started forming teeth earlier than normal. He termed the substance in the extract epidermal growth factor ("EGF") because it could stimulate the multiplication of certain cells in the skin and cornea and was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1986 for his discovery. Read about it here.

Thanks to Stanley and his mice, mutated EGF receptors were eventually proposed as a target for anti-cancer treatment, and in 2003 the first EGFR inhibitor was approved by the FDA.¹

Normal genes turn on and off in an orderly way to make protein messages tell cells what to do, like when to grow and multiply. Mutations or changes in some genes can turn a healthy cell into a cancerous one. Watch this video to learn more about this process and how scientists are using this information to gain a better understanding of the different types of NSCLC. 

There are more than 400 clinical trials examining the role of biomarkers in NSCLC. Thanks to modern science, doctors now know that lung cancer is not just one disease. Even within the most common type – non-small cell lung cancer classified as adenocarcinoma – researchers have identified more than 15 genetic mutations that may cause cells to become cancerous, redefining our understanding of the disease.^3,4 With these discoveries, new treatments targeting these biomarkers can be developed and tested in real patients. Learn more about clinical trials or visit LungMatch from our partner organization Lung Cancer Alliance, a resource to help patients find a clinical trial based on his or her biomarker.

More than 15 biomarkers have been identified in NSCLC. Our understanding of lung cancer has evolved considerably in the 21st century. Today, doctors understand that there are two major types of lung cancer, the most common being non-small cell lung cancer. In NSCLC classified as adenocarcinoma, researchers have now identified more than 15 genetic mutations that may cause cells to become cancerous — redefining the disease and how it is treated.^3,4 Learn more about biomarkers and why it’s important to be tested.