It was a big day for the lung cancer world. After seeing the tantalizing promise of immunotherapy for lung cancer over the past 3 years, but outside of the range of routine clinical practice, the anti-PD1 antibody,  immune checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo (nivolumab) was approved by the FDA today for previously treated patients with advanced squamous NSCLC. This was just days after it was formally available for consideration and was based on the clear benefit demonstrated in the pivotal CHECKMATE 017 trial.

Just last week, I ranked the development of immunotherapies as the leading development in lung cancer in 2013. I don't consider 2013 to be the clear turning point for immunotherapies in lung cancer: they have been the subject of interest and research for many years, and ASCO 2012 really marks their breakout from niche idea to more widespread credibility. But if 2012 was the real launchpad, 2013 saw the rocket really take off. The question is where is it really going?

Dr. Bob Doebele from the University of Colorado, provides his view on the targeted therapy approaches most likely to become clinically useful in lung cancer over the next several years.

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Drs. Jack West, Mary Pinder, and Nate Pennell review various ways in which emerging immunotherapies could be effectively incorporated into our treatment strategies for lung cancer, potentially adding to or replacing current options.

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Drs. Mary Pinder, Nate Pennell, and Jack West discuss promising work on immune checkpoint inhibitors such as MPPL-3280A, an anti-PDL1 immune-based therapy, and anti-PD1 therapy nivolumab, in advanced NSCLC.

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Dr. Geoffrey Oxnard, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, provides his view on the targeted therapy approaches most likely to become clinically useful in lung cancer over the next several years.

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Dr. Karen Kelly of the University of California, Davis, provides her view on the targeted therapy approaches most likely to become clinically useful in lung cancer over the next several years.

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Dr. Phil Bonomi, from Rush University, provides his view on the targeted therapy approaches most likely to become clinically useful in lung cancer over the next several years.

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Dr. Leighl continued her presentation on "Highlights in Lung Cancer, 2012" with a discussion of the challenges that many patients with squamous NSCLC face, typically not having a cancer with a "driver mutation" like an EGFR mutation or an ALK rearrangement.

Dr. Heather Wakelee from Stanford University presents her view on the most promising emerging targeted therapies and pathways for treating lung cancer in the coming years.

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