Recent advances in diagnostic technologies in lung cancer

Abstract

The increase in lung cancer incidence of Korea has been dampened since 2000; however, increased human lifespan, interest in health care and the widespread implementation of health examinations have resulted in a considerable rise in detection of small lesions that need to be differentiated from lung cancer. Detection of lung cancer at an early stage rather than at a symptomatic advanced stage is also increasing, suggesting that there are increasing diagnostic demands for small peripheral lung lesions. The development of new molecular diagnostics, including next generation sequencing, companion diagnostics that accompany development of new anti-cancer drugs, and re-biopsy for application of new therapeutic modality accelerate the development of lung cancer diagnostics. In this review, we extensively describe the current available diagnostic tools in lung cancer.

Recent Trends of Lung Cancer in Korea

“…These facts confirm that molecular diagnostics for lung cancer play a large role in the treatment of lung cancer in Korean women who have no smoking history. In the molecular diagnosis of lung cancer, the peptide nucleic acidmediated clamping method is one of the most commonly used methods for detecting gene mutations in cancer tissue specimens in Korea [ 4 , 28 ]. Since 2017, an NGS technology-based genetic panel test has been designated for national health insurance benefits in Korean lung cancer patients, and it will be able to quickly identify mutant EGFR , ALK , ROS , and BRAF [ 29 ].…”

“…In addition, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in Korea [ 2 ]. A national lung cancer screening program using low-dose computed tomography was recently launched in Korea [ 3 ], and various treatments such as target therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors have been developed for lung cancer [ 4 , 5 ]. Based on recent nationwide data, we have briefly reviewed the epidemiology, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of lung cancer in Korea.…”

Applications of Liquid Biopsies in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

“…According to recent studies, oncological patients exhibit higher levels of cfDNA than healthy individuals. The half-life of cfDNA is 15 min; however, due to the constant shedding, overall concentrations may remain quite stable and even increase with higher tumor grades [ 18 ]. Current studies recommend plasma instead of serum as a suitable biological sample to analyze cfDNA or ctDNA [ 19 ].…”

Identification of GPD1L as a Potential Prognosis Biomarker and Associated with Immune Infiltrates in Lung Adenocarcinoma

“…Even with all of the advancements that have been made over the years in cancer diagnosis and treatment, the death rate of lung cancer is still rather high, which is particularly relevant to smokers [ 4 , 5 ]. As a direct consequence of this, numerous patients who were diagnosed with early lung cancer did not receive adjuvant therapy following their surgeries [ 6 , 7 ]. Consequently, the disease returned or spread to other parts of the body in some of the patients due to a number of variables, including that some people are diagnosed at an advanced stage of lung cancer [ 8 , 9 ].…”

“…Even with all of the advancements that have been made over the years in cancer diagnosis and treatment, the death rate of lung cancer is still rather high, which is particularly relevant to smokers [4,5]. As a direct consequence of this, numerous patients who were diagnosed with early lung cancer did not receive adjuvant therapy following their surgeries [6,7].…”