ACC

Despite the progresses in the treatment of patients with non small cell lung cancer, the prognosis remains poor, with an estimated five years overall survival of only 16%. Thanks to the technological advances, during the last ten years, different molecular alterations, responsible for the development of oncogene addicted tumors, have been identified in NSCLC.

Currently, NSCLC is considered as a heterogeneous disease, including rare molecularly classified lung tumors, that are susceptible to targeted inhibition. Nationwide programs have assessed the feasibility of large-scale molecular screening. The development of nationwide programs, through the creation of consortium between different institutions, resulted in a successful strategy to increase the number of patients molecularly characterized. Moreover, this translated into longer survival. Next generation sequencing (NGS) is based on massive parallel sequencing of millions of different DNA molecules, allowing the detection of multiple mutations in multiple genes. An Oncochip, including the sequences of 182 genes, 139 translocations and 141 germline variants was recently developed.

The aim of the current proposal is to prospectively validate the Lung Oncochip in newly diagnosed advanced NSCLC patients, referring to 12 Italian Research Institutes, belonging to the Alliance Against Cancer Network (ACC), built in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Health. This is the first Italian prospective study, evaluating the use of NGS to classify NSCLC patients.

Secretary (of the Executive Board): Vanesa Gregorc - HSR MILANO
Head of Pre-Clinical Operations: Fabiana Cecere - IRE ROMA
Head of Clinical Operations: Filippo De Marinis - IEO MILANO

WG Lung