NSCLC

Disease State

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common cancer worldwide and is often diagnosed at later stages.^1,2 Optimized therapeutic approaches hinge upon a robust understanding of the underlying disease biology.³

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Pathobiology

Patient and Disease Characteristics

Epidemiology

Lung cancer in the US remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for ~87% of lung cancer cases.^1,2

Percent of Lung Cancer Cases by Stage at Diagnosis⁴

5-year Relative Survival by Stage at Diagnosis⁴

Localized

Regional

Distant

Unknown

5-year Relative Survival (all stages)

Non-specific symptomatology often contributes to late-stage diagnosis and poor prognosis in NSCLC.² Approximately 40–50% of NSCLC tumors harbor actionable genomic alterations (AGAs). AGAs can impact patient care and clinical outcomes.⁵

Pathobiology

Genomic aberrations that can impact signaling pathways may drive NSCLC tumor initiation, growth, and metastasis. Mutations resulting in oncogene activation and the inactivation of tumor suppressor genes are central targets of treatments for NSCLC.^6,7

Patient and Disease Characteristics

Patient care in NSCLC relies on a unique understanding of each patient’s disease. Precision medicine integrates several layers of information to develop a tailored patient care strategy. Because NSCLC is often diagnosed at advanced stages where surgical resection is not an option, it is crucial to test for actionable biomarkers both at initial diagnosis and upon disease progression.^6,8,9

Patient Care Plan

Patient history and characteristics^8,9

Stage of disease⁸

NSCLC subtypes⁸

Tumor and molecular
characteristics⁸

Genetics

Age

Environment

Smoking history

Family history

Early stage

Locally advanced

Metastatic

Large cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma

Adenocarcinoma

Not otherwise specified

Actionable biomarkers

Tumor growth/location

Tumor mutational burden

Patient history and characteristics^8,9

Genetics

Age

Environment

Smoking history

Family history

Stage of disease⁸

Early stage

Locally advanced

Metastatic

NSCLC subtypes⁸

Large cell carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma

Adenocarcinoma

Not otherwise specified

Tumor and molecular
characteristics⁸

Actionable biomarkers

Tumor growth/location

Tumor mutational burden

AGAs=actionable genomic alterations; BRAF=B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase; EGFR=epidermal growth factor receptor; ERK=extracellular signal-regulated kinase; KRAS=Kirsten rat sarcoma virus; MEK=mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase; MET=mesenchymal-epithelial transitions; NSCLC=non-small cell lung cancer; US=United States.

Learn more about select biomarkers in NSCLC

References

1. Bray F, et al. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;74(3):229-263. doi:10.3322/caac.21834. 2. Yale Medicine. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Accessed August 11, 2025. https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/non-small-cell-lung-cancer. 3. Roy-Chowdhuri S, et al. Cancer. 2024;130(24):4200-4212. doi:10.1002/cncr.34926. 4. National Cancer Institute, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Cancer Stat Facts: Lung and Bronchus Cancer. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/lungb.html. 5. Attili I, et al. J Clin Med. 2024;13(15):4476. doi:10.3390/jcm13154476. 6. Tahayneh K, et al. J Clin Med. 2025;14(3):1025. doi:10.3390/jcm14031025. 7. Xu J, et al. Am J Clin Oncol. 2024;47(6):291-303. doi:10.1097/COC.0000000000001088. 8. National Cancer Institute. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment (PDQ^®)–Health Professional Version. Accessed August 12, 2025. https://www.cancer.gov/types/lung/hp/non-small-cell-lung-treatment-pdq. 9. Hirsch FR, Kim C. Oncol Ther. 2024;12(2):223-231. doi:10.1007/s40487-024-00271-w.

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