Chasing Mutations in the Epidermal Growth Factor in Lung Cancer

Abstract

Non–small-cell lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in men and women in the United States, and worldwide it kills more than 1 million people annually. Approximately two thirds of patients with non–small-cell lung cancer present with locally advanced or metastatic disease that requires systemic therapy in addition to surgery or radiation therapy. The good news is that the results of systemic therapy are improving: chemotherapy prolongs survival and improves the quality of life for patients with non–small-cell lung cancer. The bad news is that systemic therapy is still woefully inadequate: only 30 to 40 percent of . . .