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- Gilda da Cunha Santos
- Laboratory Medicine Program, Department of Pathology, Princess Margaret Hospital and Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9, Canada;,
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- Frances A. Shepherd
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Princess Margaret Hospital and University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9, Canada;
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- Ming Sound Tsao
- Laboratory Medicine Program, Department of Pathology, Princess Margaret Hospital and Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2M9, Canada;,
抄録
<jats:p> Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a transmembrane protein with cytoplasmic kinase activity that transduces important growth factor signaling from the extracellular milieu to the cell. Given that more than 60% of non–small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs) express EGFR, EGFR has become an important therapeutic target for the treatment of these tumors. Inhibitors that target the kinase domain of EGFR have been developed and are clinically active. More importantly, such tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are especially effective in patients whose tumors harbor activating mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the EGFR gene. More recent trials have suggested that for advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutant tumors, initial therapy with a TKI instead of chemotherapy may be the best choice of treatment. Therefore, mutation testing is mandatory to identify these patients, given that selection based only on clinico-pathologic characteristics is inadequate. We review the role of EGFR mutations in the diagnosis and management of NSCLC. </jats:p>
収録刊行物
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- Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease
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Annual Review of Pathology: Mechanisms of Disease 6 (1), 49-69, 2011-02-28
Annual Reviews