DARPP-32 and t-DARPP isoform in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): could they drive patients’ clinical management and be a therapeutic target?

Lung cancer remains the main cause of cancer-related death worldwide (1). In the last decade, the most significant improvements in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have been made through identification and exploiting of novel therapeutic targets. Among them, sensitizing EGFR mutations, ALK and ROS-1 gene rearrangements are the main targetable alterations that have deeply changed both clinical management and outcomes of these patients. Furthermore, the new antibody agents directed against programmed death 1 (PD-1) protein or its ligand (PD-L1) have recently opened the way to a new paradigm shift in the treatment strategies of different solid tumors, including lung cancer.