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EGFR in lung cancer
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85 to 90% of all lung cancers. It is biologically aggressive and the leading cause of cancer death in men and women
When a cell loses control of the carefully orchestrated sequence of events that normally regulates its proliferation, over-proliferation can occur leading to cancer
Many tumours, including those of the lung, show increased activity of the EGFR. EGFR is a cellular transmembrane receptor found on the cell surface of tumour cells. It is activated by binding of EGF or another growth factor
Amplification of the EGFR signalling pathway drives cell proliferation and tumour growth through the activation of pathways that are crucial to proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis and inhibition of cell death.
Woodburn 1999, Ciardiello 2001
You can view an animation of a tyrosine kinase inhibitor mode of action here
