New gene and cell-based therapies for lung cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men and wom en in the United States, in part, because of the poor treatment options ava ilable. New treatment strategies that specifically target discreet steps in the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of this disease are under developm ent. This review highlights many of the basic defects that result in the ce llular transformation and subsequent progression of lung cancer, and how th e understanding of those fundamental defects lead to the formulation of rat ional gene-based or cell-based therapies.