Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
As more patients with oncogene-driven non-small-cell lung cancer are treated with targeted therapies, they are joining forces online to form groups that provide support, education and advocacy focused on specific oncogenes. Herein, we discuss how the involvement of these groups in patient-partnered research can benefit both patients and lung cancer research.
Shortages of drugs, including chemotherapeutics, are increasingly common in the USA, and compromise patient care, delay clinical trials and are associated with substantial financial costs. The recent shortage of vincristine, a chemotherapeutic used for most children with cancer and countless adult patients, presents a particularly vexing challenge. Drug shortages can cause patients unnecessary anxiety and challenge clinicians to ration lifesaving medications for which no alternative agent exists. We provide an overview of this problem and discuss potential solutions.
Phase I trials form the foundations of evidence-based oncology. Here, we explore the ethical controversies surrounding how participation in such trials should be presented to patients.
New molecular insights occasionally lead to the rapid development of therapeutic agents that improve the outcomes of patients with cancer; however, these breakthroughs can be followed by extensive, empirically driven and often unsuccessful efforts at extending the drug to other indications or combinations. Herein, we describe the clinical development of imatinib, a paradigm of rapid molecularly driven drug development, and advocate for a balanced portrayal of the potential of molecularly targeted therapies for cancer.