# Progress and prospects of organoids in the pathogenesis of lung cancer and screening of antitumor drugs

**Authors:** Yiqiong Li, Yuanjie Shang, Na Zhang, Jiarui Li, Zijiang Yang

PMC · DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1734929 · Frontiers in Oncology · 2026-01-14

## TL;DR

This review discusses how lung cancer organoids can help understand the disease and test new drugs, offering hope for personalized treatments.

## Contribution

The paper systematically analyzes the role of organoids in lung cancer research and their integration with emerging technologies.

## Key findings

- Organoids can mimic lung cancer's in vivo characteristics and help study its pathogenesis.
- They serve as a platform for drug screening and understanding tumor heterogeneity.
- Challenges remain in their application, but future prospects are promising.

## Abstract

Lung cancer, a major global public health issue for decades, is characterized by high incidence and mortality rates. Over the past twenty years, numerous novel therapies have emerged. However, due to the substantial genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity among patients, current treatment modalities still yield low cure rates for advanced lung cancer, creating an urgent need to develop precision medicine aided by personalized tumor models. The rise and advancement of three-dimensional organoid culture technology have brought new hope to this endeavor. Patient-derived organoids can closely mimic the in vivo biological characteristics of lung cancer, enabling the exploration of its pathogenesis and the effective screening of anticancer drugs, thereby facilitating progress in precision medicine for lung cancer. This review provides a systematic analysis by constructing a framework that spans foundational techniques, mechanistic investigations, preclinical applications, and integration with emerging technologies. It specifically highlights the role of organoids in simulating the dynamic evolution of lung cancer, deciphering tumor heterogeneity, and serving as a versatile platform for convergence with cutting-edge tools such as organs-on-chips, 3D bioprinting, and CRISPR-Cas9. Furthermore, the review discusses the key challenges and limitations facing lung cancer organoid models and outlines their future prospects for broader application.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** lung cancer (MONDO:0005138)

## Full-text entities

- **Diseases:** tumor (MESH:D009369), Lung cancer (MESH:D008175)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606]

## Full text

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## Figures

3 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12846966/full.md

## References

92 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12846966/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12846966