Immunotherapy in Advanced Lung Cancer Treatment

Despite the improvement in overall survival (OS) by platinum-based chemotherapy (NSCLC Meta-Analyses Collaborative Group, 2008), prognosis remains unsatisfactory for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We discuss in this chapter the new era of advanced lung cancer systemic therapy represented by immunotherapy. First of all I presented one of the modalities of immunological diagnostics based on new technology. The mechanism of action of the immunoagents is shortly described. In the in most part of the chapter, the main immunotherapeutic agents used in lung cancer immunotherapy are analyzed: vaccines, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors, and checkpoint inhibitors. In the end of the chapter, the combination between immunotherapeutic agents is discussed

Tirosyne Kinase Inhibithors (TKIs) in the Treatment of Non –Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Practical Pharmacological Aspects

Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors are new drugs developed in the last decade. For Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer this drug brought more hope for patients with this disease. Also TKIs are better tolerated then chemotherapy. The efficacy of TKIs is dependent of the presence of Epidermal Grows Factor Receptor gene mutation. This mutation account for about 9% of patients with lung cancer in Europe. This short review try to give the minimal knowledge to clinicians, especially medical oncologists, about mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics of TKIs used in the treatment NSCLC. Keywords: Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI); Non -Small Cell Lung Cancer; Pharmacokinetics aspect

Markers for tumor margin assessment through raman spectroscopy in comparative oncology

The occurrence of tumour diseases in both animals and humans is continuously increasing. Research in nanosciences and molecular biology has put lately an intense effort to identify the aetiology factors and seek for new ways of diagnostic and targeted therapies aimed at reducing mortality and increasing chances to healing. Extensive development of cancer tumours is frequently counteracted through surgery. Assessment of a clean surgical margin is vital and a precise and rapid diagnostic down to molecule level represents a technical challenge with important clinical implications. We present a new way of using surgery instruments and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy for direct ex vivo (no freezing, no staining) and in vivo diagnostic of clean margins in mammary tumour surgery of pets (dogs and cats).Raman spectroscopy extracts chemical information with reported 100%sensitivity, 100% specificity and overall accuracy of 93% in identifying carcinomas. Our main result stays in identification of a set of molecular markers (carotenoids, lipids and intramolecular water) for Raman diagnostic in cat and dog mammary tumour surgery. Those markers have already been confirmed for human patients