Path-breaking target therapies for lung cancer and a far-sighted health policy to support clinical and cost effectiveness

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the radical innovations to treat lung cancer, which are generating a revolution in clinical practice, in order to provide fruitful health policy implications. The finding shows an allometric process of scientific growth of target therapies: disproportionate knowledge growth of the new anticancer drug (Gefitinib) in relation to the standard platinum-based chemotherapy. These ground-breaking target therapies for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may replace standard chemotherapy approaches, which might enter into a maturity phase in the not-too-distant future. The current debate concerns some uncertainties about the efficacy, the long-term effects of these radical innovations on carcinogenesis and the high cost of these new anticancer drugs for healthcare system. Nevertheless, these innovative treatments generate several benefits in terms of higher survival and quality of life. The development of path-breaking target therapies for NSCLC and the efficiency of personalized healthcare system should be based on the understanding of cancer biology, E-health system and chemoprevention (e.g. early stage biomarkers) to improve stratification of patients and the precision of first-line target therapies: this strategy may increase the fruitful effects of new multi-inhibitors blocking agents and their cost effectiveness; in addition, it is also important a long-run systemic evaluation of costs, based on clinical and economic monitoring of patients to support a far-sighted health policy.