The epidermal growth factor (EGFR) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) : biomarker and therapeutic target

Abstract

Extract from Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in industrialized nations (Parkin, Bray et al. 2005). With approximately 1.35 million people diagnosed with the disease worldwide each year, and the incidence rising, lung cancer is set to become a global epidemic (Youlden, Cramb et al. 2008). From 1985 to 2005, the number of cases diagnosed annually increased by more than 50% globally. There are nearly 1.2 million lung cancer related deaths every year, accounting for 29% of total cancer-related deaths (Parkin, Bray et al. 2005). In the US and parts of Europe, lung cancer is responsible for as many deaths in men as deaths from prostate, colorectal and stomach cancers combined (Jemal, Siegel et al. 2006). Although incidence rates in women throughout the world are lower, lung is now the third most common cancer site after breast and cervix. In certain regions lung cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the most common cause o f cancer-associated mortality among women (Patel, Bach et al. 2004). Lung cancer can occur at any age but the median age of diagnosis is 70. There is significant geographical variation in the incidence and mortality rates of the disease, with highest rates reported in industrialized nations. Whereas a peak in incidence appears to have been observed in Western and Northern Europe, rates continue to increase in Southern and Eastern Europe, with overall age-adjusted incidence in males of more than 100/100,000 cases per year in some countries (Janssen-Heijnen and Coebergh 2003; Ferlay, Autier et al. 2007).