Personalized Medicine and Targeted Therapy May Hold Promise in Lung Cancer – CancerNetwork

Advancements in Lung Cancer Treatment and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

A review of future directions in lung cancer treatment, as articulated by Dr. Guilherme Sacchi de Camargo Correia, Clinical Assistant Professor at Augusta University, indicates a strategic shift towards personalized medicine. This evolution aligns directly with key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). The focus is on developing more efficacious, less toxic therapies by understanding disease complexity and treatment resistance, thereby contributing to global health and scientific advancement.

Future Therapeutic Paradigms and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The primary objective in advancing lung cancer care is to enhance patient outcomes, a goal central to SDG 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all. The development of targeted therapies is a critical component of this effort.

• Personalized Medicine: Treating lung cancer not as a single entity but as a collection of distinct diseases under one umbrella term is fundamental. This personalized approach directly supports SDG Target 3.4, which seeks to reduce premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through effective treatment.
• Reduced Toxicity: A key research goal is the creation of treatments with fewer toxic side effects compared to traditional chemotherapy. This improves the quality of life for patients, directly contributing to the well-being aspect of SDG 3.
• Next-Line Treatments: Addressing the failure of initial targeted therapies is crucial. By developing new strategies for patients who relapse, the medical community ensures a continuum of care, reinforcing the commitment to long-term health management.

Innovation and Research in Oncology: A Link to SDG 9

The evolution of lung cancer treatment is contingent on robust scientific research and technological innovation, reflecting the ambitions of SDG 9, which calls for building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation.

1. Investigating Resistance Mechanisms: A primary area of research involves understanding why targeted therapies eventually fail. This deep-level scientific inquiry is a form of innovation that drives the development of more durable treatments.
2. Developing Novel Therapies: The creation of new modalities, such as antibody-drug conjugates that target cancer cells differently than existing oral medications (e.g., osimertinib, alectinib), represents a significant advancement in medical technology and infrastructure.
3. Long-Term Innovations: While complex modalities like CAR T-cell therapy face physiological and anatomical challenges in lung cancer, continued research represents a long-term investment in the scientific infrastructure required to overcome such hurdles and achieve future breakthroughs.

Strategic Outlook on Treatment Sequencing

A significant challenge highlighted is the current clinical pathway where failure of a targeted therapy often results in a return to standard chemotherapy. The future strategy, in line with the continuous improvement ethos of the SDGs, is to build a multi-layered therapeutic approach. This involves creating subsequent lines of targeted treatments and alternative molecular attacks, such as binding molecules externally with antibody-related drugs rather than internally at the tyrosine kinase pocket. This forward-looking research into sequencing and resistance is essential for making sustained progress against complex diseases and achieving global health targets.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: This is the primary SDG addressed. The entire article focuses on advancing medical treatments for lung cancer, a major non-communicable disease. The discussion on “personalized medicine,” “targeted therapy,” and developing therapies with “better efficacy” and “less toxicity” directly contributes to the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure: The article implicitly connects to this goal through its focus on scientific research and technological innovation. The development of “newer therapies in terms of the immune system, like advancements in CAR T-cell therapies,” and the call to “build the newer therapies” by looking “deeper into those resistance mechanisms” highlight the importance of innovation in the medical and pharmaceutical industry to solve complex health challenges.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one-third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being. The article’s central theme is the improvement of treatment for lung cancer, a non-communicable disease. The effort to “develop treatments that are less toxic with better efficacy” and find solutions for when “therapies fail the patient” is directly aimed at reducing mortality and improving outcomes for cancer patients.
• Target 3.b: Support the research and development of vaccines and medicines for the communicable and non-communicable diseases. The article is a clear discussion on the importance of ongoing medical research. Dr. Correia’s statements about the future of lung cancer care, including “advancements in CAR T-cell therapies,” developing “new targeted therapies,” and researching “resistance mechanisms,” all fall under the umbrella of supporting research and development for new medicines to combat a non-communicable disease.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Implied Indicator for Target 3.4: While the article does not cite specific statistics, it implies progress can be measured by the efficacy of new treatments and patient survival rates. The goal to create therapies with “better efficacy” and to find effective “next line[s] of treatment” when initial therapies fail suggests that a key measure of success is the reduction in mortality rates from lung cancer.
• Implied Indicator for Target 3.b: Progress towards this target is implied through the development and availability of new medical technologies and therapies. The article specifically mentions “personalized medicine,” “CAR T-cell therapies,” and “new antibody drug conjugates” as outputs of ongoing research. The successful creation and clinical application of these “newer therapies” serve as a direct indicator of progress in medical research and development.

SDGs, Targets and Indicators Table

Source: cancernetwork.com