Expression patterns of novel immunotherapy targets in intermediate- and high-grade lung neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Background: Advancements in immunotherapeutic approaches only had a modest impact on the therapy of lung neuroendocrine neoplasms (LNENs). Our multicenter study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of novel immunotherapy targets in intermediate- and high-grade LNENs.

Methods: The expressions of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA), OX40L, Glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor (GITR), and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain 3 (TIM3) proteins were measured by immunohistochemistry in surgically resected tumor samples of 26 atypical carcinoid (AC), 49 large cell neuroendocrine lung cancer (LCNEC), and 66 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients.

Small cells - big issues: biological implications and preclinical advancements in small cell lung cancer.

Current treatment guidelines refer to small cell lung cancer (SCLC), one of the deadliest human malignancies, as a homogeneous disease. Accordingly, SCLC therapy comprises chemoradiation with or without immunotherapy. Meanwhile, recent studies have made significant advances in subclassifying SCLC based on the elevated expression of the transcription factors ASCL1, NEUROD1, and POU2F3, as well as on certain inflammatory characteristics.

C-Myc protein expression indicates unfavorable clinical outcome in surgically resected small cell lung cancer.

Background: By being highly involved in the tumor evolution and disease progression of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), Myc family members (C-Myc, L-Myc, and N-Myc) might represent promising targetable molecules. Our aim was to investigate the expression pattern and prognostic relevance of these oncogenic proteins in an international cohort of surgically resected SCLC tumors.

Methods: Clinicopathological data and surgically resected tissue specimens from 104 SCLC patients were collected from two collaborating European institutes.

Potential subtype-specific therapeutic approaches in small cell lung cancer.

Purpose Of Review: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) remains one of the most aggressive thoracic malignancies with an especially dismal prognosis. While the detection of various targetable driver mutations and immune checkpoints have revolutionized the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), there has been only modest therapeutic innovation over the past decades in SCLC. In this review, we aim to provide a brief summary on the clinical relevance of recent research findings, which could soon pave the way towards a more personalized and targeted management of SCLC patients.