Using EGFR status to personalize treatment: lung cancer researchers reach a milestone.

I n July, the European Commission approved the marketing of gefitinib (Iressa) for selected patients with non-small cell lung cancer, a milestone for a drug whose ups and downs have reflected the sometimes difficult road toward per-sonalized medicine in oncology. The key ingredient in the commis-sion's approval is patient selection–the proviso that gefi tinib be used only in patients with certain mutations in the epi-dermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene that make them sensitive to the drug. AstraZeneca, the drug's maker, is in discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well, according to a company spokesperson. Although EGFR-targeted therapies for lung cancer–gefi tinib and its cousin erlotinib (Tarceva)–have been available for some time, they have been tested in all patients, with no