Another Slice of the Pie Uncovered: RIT1M90I Is an Actionable Driver in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung adenocarcinoma has become a paradigm for precision oncology and success with targeted therapies. However, large chunks of the pie chart of molecular drivers remain unknown, preventing many patients from similarly benefiting from this strategy. Here, we highlight the side-by-side release of two impactful studies from Mozzarelli and colleagues and DiMarco and colleagues in this issue of Cancer Research. Here, each team generated unique mouse models characterizing a novel and potentially actionable driver and facilitator of acquired drug resistance in lung adenocarcinoma, RIT1M90I. Both study teams describe and characterize their new mouse models, reporting the tumor latency and importantly revealing the sensitivity of RIT1-mutant lung tumors to SHP2 or RAS tricomplex inhibitors. Collectively, these findings highlight the importance of RIT1M90I as an actionable driver of lung adenocarcinoma and a potent mediator of acquired drug resistance. These new RIT1-driven lung cancer models represent valuable tools for the preclinical testing and translation of different therapeutic strategies for this patient population. See related article by Mozzarelli et al., p. 3196 See related article by DiMarco et al., p. 3207.