Profiling changes in metabolism and the immune microenvironment in lung tumorigenesis

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, with 5-year survival rates still below 20% (1). Several multidisciplinary approaches are used clinically for the treatment of this disease. Depending on the type, classification, and staging of the lung tumor, patients are treated with surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy, alone or in combination. More than 80% of lung cancers are classified as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Although targeted therapies have transformed treatment for NSCLC patients with defined genetic alterations (driver mutations), these targeted drugs are ineffective in tumors that lack specific molecular alterations (non-driver mutated NSCLC). However, immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting either programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1), programmed death receptor-ligand 1 (PD-L1) or cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) have revolutionized the clinical approach for the management of advanced non-driver NSCLC