New Cell test To Assess Responsiveness to Iressa
The Harvard Medical School - Partners HealthCare Center for Genetics and
Genomics (HPCGG) is offering a test to guide the treatment of certain www.hpcgg.org
The known as EGFR Kinase Domain Sequencing detects mutations in the tyrosine
kinase portion of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR).
"This gene mutation is present in a subset of non-small cell lung cancers,
most commonly adenocarcinomas and bronchoalveolar carcinomas arising in
nonsmokers. When the mutation is present, it is associated with a response to
the anti-cancer drug Iressa (gefitinib). Iressa works by blocking the function
of the mutant EGFR protein that these cancer cells need to survive and
proliferate."