Following the crumbs: from tissue samples, to pharmacogenomics, to NSCLC therapy

Lung cancer is still the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide (1). The 5-year survival rate is still only 14% implying the need for new treatments (2). According to the National Cancer Institute Office of Cancer Genomics, for the facilitation of personalized cancer medicine (PCM), based on genetic aberrations which exist in human malignancies, three goals have been established; first, enhancement of the understanding of the molecular mechanisms of cancer; second, the acceleration of genomic science and technology development; and third, translation of genomic data to improve cancer prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment (3).