Postoperative adjuvant therapy with molecularly targeted agents for non-small cell lung cancer

The efficacy of molecularly targeted agents has been established in advanced lung cancer, and their indications have recently expanded to include perioperative treatment of resectable lung cancer. For epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive patients, postoperative adjuvant therapy with EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) is available in Japan following the results of the ADAURA trial. In addition to EGFR-TKIs, postoperative adjuvant therapy with TKIs targeting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) and rearranged during transfection (RET) is expected to be established. On the other hand, because adjuvant chemotherapy is ineffective in patients who have been completely cured of cancer through surgery alone, the balance between efficacy and adverse effects must be considered, and further studies will be needed to determine the necessary and sufficient dosage and the appropriate duration of administration. In addition, the cost of adjuvant chemotherapy has recently become an issue that cannot be overlooked. Therefore, it will be imperative to develop biomarkers to effectively narrow down the patients who benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy.