50 Years of Progress in NSCLC: A New Fellow's Guide in the Clinic.

In the past 50 years, we have seen a dramatic evolution in thoracic oncology. We have gone from a time of limited understanding of the biology of lung cancer, no demonstrated benefits for screening, and marginal benefits from therapy to an era of molecular profiling, survival benefits from low-dose computed tomography screening, and a steadily expanding list of therapeutic options. Coupled with these advances have been substantial improvements in approaches related to supportive care and end of life. In this state-of-the-art article, the Communications Committee of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer presents a comprehensive summary of how some of the major questions in lung cancer were addressed during the last 50 years: from prevention to staging, screening, diagnostics, therapeutics, and supportive care. This is intended to serve as a "survival guide" for new standards in lung cancer care aimed at clinicians and other interested stakeholders, which places these current standards of care in the context of progress in the last 50 years.