Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Although the incidence of lung cancer has declined among men as a result of decreasing smoking rates, it has increased among younger women who do not smoke. While targeted drug therapies have improved treatment outcomes, patients frequently develop resistance to these therapies.

Researchers from Tampere University, the University of Helsinki, Harvard University and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have investigated whether the therapeutic efficacy of the antibody-drug conjugate HER3-DXd can be enhanced by combining it with olaparib, a PARP inhibitor. Their research focused on non-small cell lung cancer, which is the most common form of lung cancer, and on tumors carrying EGFR or KRAS mutations.