Testing for mutations identified in squamous cell lung cancer tumors helps personalize treatment

Screening lung cancer tumor samples for cancer-causing genetic mutations can help physicians tailor patients’ treatments to target those specific mutations. Researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have begun testing for three new genetic targets and have found that together they occur in approximately 50 percent of patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the lung, which affects 40,000 Americans each year. Initial findings of the research will be presented on June 4 at the 2012 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting. Read the press release here.