Lung Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms and New Combination Strategies
A Special Issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059) belonging to the section "Cancer Biology and Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2027 | Viewed by 47
Editors
Interests: early-phase drug development and clinical trials; novel targeted therapies; biomarkers
Interests: cancer disparities; novel biomarkers; tumor immune microenvironment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, encompassing non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC, ~85% of cases) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The therapeutic landscape has been transformed by molecularly targeted agents directed against driver alterations (EGFR, ALK, ROS1, RET, MET, KRAS, BRAF, HER2, NTRK, NRG1) and by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 axes. Despite these advances, most patients ultimately develop primary or acquired resistance through mechanisms including bypass signaling, histologic transformation, impaired antigen presentation, T-cell exhaustion, metabolic reprogramming, and remodeling of an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment.
This Special Issue seeks to advance mechanistic understanding of lung cancer biology and to highlight rational combination strategies designed to deepen and prolong responses across both NSCLC and SCLC. We welcome original research and reviews addressing combinations of targeted therapy with chemotherapy to delay resistance and improve survival (e.g., EGFR-TKI plus platinum-pemetrexed); ICI-based combinations with chemotherapy, anti-angiogenic agents, or dual checkpoint blockade; bispecific antibodies and T-cell engagers (e.g., PD-1×VEGF bispecifics and DLL3×CD3 engagers); antibody-drug conjugates alone and in combination; next-generation ICIs (e.g., anti-TIGIT, anti-LAG-3); combinations spanning neoadjuvant, adjuvant, maintenance, and metastatic settings; and strategies to overcome resistance, including epigenetic, metabolic, and microbiome-directed approaches. Contributions on predictive biomarkers, circulating tumor DNA, tumor microenvironment characterization, and preclinical models supporting rational drug combinations are encouraged. By integrating mechanistic insight with translational and clinical evidence, this Special Issue aims to inform biomarker-driven patient selection and the design of more effective, personalized combination regimens for lung cancer.
Dr. Zhaohui Liao Arter
Dr. Robert Hsu
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- non-small-cell lung cancer
- small-cell lung cancer
- novel therapy
- combination therapy
- targeted therapy plus chemotherapy
- bispecific antibodies and T-cell engagers
- immune checkpoint inhibitors
- antibody-drug conjugates
- therapeutic resistance
- predictive biomarkers
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