RET, set, go

Just 15 months after Ret proto-oncogene fusions were first identified in 1%-2% of non-small cell lung cancer cases, early data from a Phase II trial of Exelixis Inc.'s Cometriq cabozantinib suggest that blocking the target could be effective in this patient population.¹ At least four additional investigator-initiated trials are seeking to test marketed Ret proto-oncogene inhibitors in fusion-positive lung cancer.

In addition, at least seven clinical trials are testing compounds that inhibit other recently identified oncogenic drivers of lung cancer, including amplifications or mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) and mutations in discoidin domain receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (DDR2 (see "Selected new targeted therapies in lung cancer" and Box 1, "Squamous smorgasbord")...