The current state of knowledge on small cell and non-small cell lung cancer and the position of durvalumab immunotherapy in lung cancer treatment

Lung cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. These statistics make lung cancer one of the most important targets for modern medicine. The identification of multiple risk factors, including tobacco smoking, has been fundamental in understanding the disease. Late-stage detection is a significant contributor to the high mortality rate of lung cancer. Nonetheless, the role of screening is still debatable. The selection of therapy is primarily based on distinguishing between small-cell and non-small cell lung cancer. Despite the major differences in treatment, in both types in specific situations the treatment involves durvalumab – a monoclonal antibody targeting the programmed cell death ligand 1 molecule, which is often present on tumor cells and protects them against the patient’s immune system. The efficacy of durvalumab has been demonstrated in two randomized, multicenter clinical trials. The aim of this study is to summarize the current state of knowledge about lung cancer and durvalumab. Despite the current 5-year survival rate of 19% in lung cancer, the development of immunotherapeutics such as durvalumab may be the key to improving the unfavorable prognosis of lung cancer in the future.