Molecular Biology of Non-small-cell Lung Cancer

In the past decades, substantial developments in the understanding of molecular biology in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have improved diagnosis and treatment of NSCLC based on the genotype of each patient’s tumor. For example, gain-of function mutations of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement are sensitive biomarkers in predicting tumor response and survival to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor and ALK inhibitor, respectively. However, since NSCLC is one of the most complex and heterogenous cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related death in the world, there are still many challenges for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of NSCLC. This review summarizes the molecular biology of NSCLC including activation of oncogenes, suppression of tumor suppressor genes, angiogenesis, epigenetic alteration, microRNA, telomerase, cancer stem cell, and cancer genomics using next generation sequencing methods.