Pathology's New Role: Guiding Cancer Treatment with Molecular Insights

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with an estimated 226,650 new cases diagnosed and 124,730 deaths in the United Stated in 2025 (Siegel et al, 2025). Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a biologically heterogenous type of lung cancer associated with a range of molecular alterations, including human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2) mutations in approximately 4% of cases. HER2 represents a promising therapeutic target, with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) 2026 guidelines now recommending testing for rare oncogenic driver alterations, including HER2 mutations, to personalize therapeutic decision making. While biomarker testing is critical to improving outcomes for patients with NSCLC, challenges such as cost, time, access, and awareness pose barriers to its implementation, particularly in the community setting where resources may be limited (Salazar et al, 2025; Ismail et al, 2025). Multidisciplinary collaboration between oncologists, pathologists, nurses, and other members of the care team is crucial to streamline biomarker testing, select the optimal treatment for individual patients, and manage treatment-related toxicities. In this Virtual Tumor Board, Tejas Patil, MD, Assistant Professor of Thoracic Oncology and Associate Director of Clinical Affairs at the University of Colorado Cancer Center; Beth Sandy, MSN, CRNP, FAPO, Thoracic Oncology Nurse Practitioner at Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania; and Maureen F. Zakowski, MD, JD, Thoracic Pathologist and Chief of the Cytopathology Service at Mount Sinai Medical Center, will explore the application of advances and best practices in HER2-mutant NSCLC in the community setting. #treatment #NSCLC #Cancer #Lungcancer #oncologyeducation #patientoutcomes #immunotherapy #oncologyinnovation #cancercare #cancerresearch