In recent times, various new approaches have been developed to treat lung cancer by physicians and researchers. Recently, several new lung cancer treatments were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Some are completely new, while others are now employed in a broader scope of application. Let’s look at new lung cancer treatments and how they work. We’ll also mention promising therapies still in studies.

Approving New Lung Cancer Treatments

The US FDA has facilitated the launch of several treatments since 2021. Some are new, and others are older drugs now used for more people. A new pharmaceutical must undergo clinical research prior to being granted a marketing authorization.

Those studies are aimed at showing the effectiveness of a newly developed agent versus standard treatment for putative cancer patients.

The FDA also needs trials to approve drugs for new situations. For example, a drug used for stage 2 lung cancer may later be approved for stage 3. This allows doctors to use it for more patients.

Immunotherapy treatments for lung cancer

Immunotherapy refers to cancer treatment where the immune system is tasked with fighting lung cancer. There are various methods that are used for shriking tumors. Some are quite old, while others are still being tested.

●Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)

Lung cancer cells, like many other cancer cells, produce proteins that help them avoid detection by the immune system. ICIs block these proteins, allowing the immune system to attack the cancer. Several ICIs have been approved for use in non-small cell lung cancer by the FDA.

Recently, ICIs have been approved for almost all lung cancer stages. Some examples include:

●Atezolizumab (Tecentriq)

●Nivolumab (Opdivo)

●Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)

Cemiplimab-rwlc (Libtayo) blocks the PD-L1 protein in tumors. In 2021, it was approved for people with NSCLC who have high PD-L1 levels. It is an option for those who can’t have surgery or chemoradiation.

The FDA also approved tremelimumab (Imjudo) with durvalumab (Imfinzi) and chemotherapy for stage 4 NSCLC. Tremelimumab blocks the CTLA-4 protein on T cells, helping the immune system fight cancer that has spread.

HER2-Targeted Therapies

Some non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors have mutations in the HER2 gene. ER2 sends signals that tell cancer cells to grow. When there's too much HER2, these cells grow out of control.
In 2022, the FDA approved fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki (Enhertu) to treat metastatic NSCLC with HER2 mutations.

It's for people whose cancer has spread and can't be treated with surgery.
Fam-trastuzumab is a smart drug. It has an antibody that targets HER2 proteins on cancer cells with a chemo drug attached. Once it latches onto the cancer cells, it delivers the chemo right to the tumor.

Originally, this drug was used for HER2-positive breast cancer. Now, it's the first approved treatment for HER2-positive lung cancer.

EGFR-Targeted therapies

Somatic mutation in the EGFR gene is found in 15% to 20% of non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors. These mutated proteins send too many signals, causing cancer cells to grow uncontrollably.

The FDA has approved several EGFR inhibitors to block these proteins. This stops the signals, helping tumors shrink.

One example is amivantamab-vmjw (Rybrevant), approved in 2021. It’s a bispecific antibody, meaning it targets two different proteins in lung cancer cells. It's used for people with NSCLC who have EGFR exon 20 insertions and whose cancer progressed after chemo.

Bispecific antibodies help prevent tumors from becoming resistant to treatment. In 2024, the FDA approved tarlatamab-dlle (Imdelltra) for extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. It’s used for people whose cancer progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy.

CAR T-cell therapies

CAR T-cell therapy uses your own immune cells. Doctors take your T cells and modify them to attack lung cancer with a strong immune response. These therapies are designed to target specific proteins on cancer cells.

While the FDA has approved CAR T-cell therapies for blood cancers, none are approved for lung cancer yet. Researchers are still studying them in clinical trials.

Vaccines for lung cancer

Vaccines are great at preventing viral infections and some cancers. Now, researchers are exploring if vaccines can also help treat or prevent lung cancer. The FDA hasn’t approved any lung cancer vaccines yet, but the research looks hopeful.

Targeted therapy for KRAS mutations

About 30% of NSCLC cases have KRAS gene mutations. KRAS is a protein that helps with cell growth and division.

In 2021, the FDA shook things up by approving sotorasib (Lumakras) for KRAS G12C mutations in NSCLC. This was a big win because KRAS mutations were once considered untreatable with targeted therapies. Sotorasib is for people who have already tried at least one other treatment.

The FDA followed up in 2022 with adagrasib (Krazati) for KRAS G12C mutations in stage 3 or 4 NSCLC. It’s also for patients who have been through at least one other therapy.

TKIs for ALK Mutations

Enter tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), the new superheroes in lung cancer treatment. They block proteins that send growth signals to cancer cells. Without these signals, cancer cells shrink and die.

ALK mutations are found in about 3% of NSCLC cases. Several ALK inhibitors are now available. In 2021, the FDA approved lorlatinib (Lorbena) as a first-line treatment for ALK-positive NSCLC.

In 2024, the FDA gave the thumbs up to alectinib (Alecensa) for ALK-positive NSCLC, especially when used alongside surgery.

As of 2024, lung cancer remains a major health concern in the United States. It is the third most common cancer for both men and women. Here are the latest statistics:

●New Cases: About 234,580 new cases are expected this year.

●Deaths: Around 125,070 people are projected to die from lung cancer in 2024.

●Prevalence: In 2020, 603,989 people were living with lung cancer in the U.S. Most were diagnosed in the last five years.

These numbers highlight the critical need for continued advances in treatment and support.

The horizon is looking bright with innovative treatments. Whether it’s new drugs, advanced therapies, or hopeful research, lung cancer treatment is on the fast track to better outcomes.

Keep an eye on these developments—they’re paving the way for a future where lung cancer is more manageable and less daunting.