Lung cancers consist of two major histological types, non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and small-cell lung carcinoma. NSCLC consists of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), adenocarcinoma (AD), large-cell carcinoma, and others. NSCLC accounts for ~85% of all lung cancers, and there are ~80% of NSCLC cases in advanced stage where the prognosis remains poor. Therefore, investigation of the mechanism of initiation, progression, and identification of prognostic markers is still needed for the selection of patients with NSCLC and to provide better individualized treatment.
The present invention relates to methods and pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of lung cancer. The inventors showed that FHIT (also known as bis(5-adenosyl)-triphosphatase) regulates HER2 activity in lung tumor cells and that HER2 inhibitors reduce invasion induced by FHIT inhibition. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of treating lung cancer in a patient in need thereof comprising the steps of i) determining the expression level of FHIT in a tumor tissue sample obtained from the patient, ii) comparing the expression level determined at step i) with a predetermined reference value and iii) administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of at least one HER2 inhibitor when the expression level determined at step i) is lower than the predetermined reference level.