For patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer who are with extremely poor performance status, there is no standard treatment except best supportive care. The research team led by Professor Toshihiro Nukiwa (Department of Respiratory Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University) found that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive patients with extremely poor performance status benefit from first-line gefitinib. Examination of EGFR mutations as a biomarker is strongly recommended for these patients, because it identifies patients for whom salvage therapy with gefitinib may be beneficial, which is especially relevant to Asian and South European patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer who have high possibilities of harboring EGFR mutations. The research achievement was published in "Journal of Clinical Oncology" on online version, with a favorable editorial comment, published by American Society of Clinical Oncology on February, 17 2009.

Contact:

Professor Toshihirio Nukiwa
Department of Respiratory Medicine Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University
Phone: +81-22-717-8539
E-mail: toshinkw_AT_idac.tohoku.ac.jp  (Replace _AT_ to @)