Prognostic factors in NSCLC. Recent experiences.

In recent years, a group of new prognostic factors have been added to the list of well-known clinical prognostic factors of non-small cell lung cancer. Among these are mutations in the K-ras oncogene, abnormalities in p53, the presence of N-CAM expression as measured by Mab immunostaining and elevated serum levels of NSE. These factors have provided important clinical insights into the biology of lung cancer and prospective studies using these biomarkers are now warranted to provide further important clues about their potential significance in treatment selection of patients.