A Genomic Strategy to Refine Prognosis in Early-Stage Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer

This study showed that a predictor based on gene expression provides prognostic information beyond that provided by traditional clinical predictors. It sets the stage for a prospective trial to determine whether the predictor could be used to guide the treatment of patients with stage IA non–small-cell lung cancer. This study showed that a predictor based on gene expression provides prognostic information beyond that provided by traditional clinical predictors. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer among both men and women in the United States, and non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for almost 80 percent of such deaths. 1 , 2 The clinical staging system has been the standard for determining lung-cancer prognosis. 3 – 5 Although other clinical and biochemical markers have prognostic significance, 6 , 7 none are more accurate than the clinicopathological stage. 8 The current standard of treatment for patients with stage I NSCLC is surgical resection, despite the observation that nearly 30 to 35 percent will relapse after the initial surgery and thus have a poor prognosis, 2 , . . .