Guibert N, Ilie M, Léna H, Didier A, Hofman P, Mazieres J
Unité d'oncologie cervico-thoracique-clinique des voies respiratoires, service de pneumologie, hôpital Larrey, université Paul-Sabatier, CHU de Toulouse, chemin de Pouvourville, 31059 Toulouse cedex, France.
Laboratoire de pathologie clinique et expérimentale, hôpital Pasteur, 06000 Nice, France.
Rev Mal Respir. 2016 Feb;33(2):156-64. doi: 10.1016/j.rmr.2015.05.012. Epub 2015 Nov 6.
A better understanding of oncogenesis and the development of targeted therapies have led to improved outcomes in the treatment of lung cancer. KRAS mutation has the potential to drive the oncogenesis of almost one third of lung adenocarcinomas but it leads to a highly complex proliferation signal involving multiple signaling pathways, explaining the disappointing results of various inhibition strategies of K-ras or its effectors. Nevertheless, recent data suggest different roles of distinct KRAS mutation subtypes and KRAS interactions with new genes in the field of synthetic lethality mechanisms open the way to new therapeutic possibilities. This review aims to provide an overview of: 1) epidemiological data and particularly the prognostic impact of KRAS mutations in non-small cell lung cancer, 2) the results of different drugs either being tested in humans or sources of hope.