Aim:
1. To establish a method for identifying the mutations in the EGFR gene in small clinical samples from lung cancer patients.
2. In a retrospective study(n=500) relate survival to the frequency and types of mutations in the EGFR gene in a Danish population of patients with advanced, inoperable non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) diagnosed prior to the introduction of treatment directed towards EGFR.
3. In a prospective study (n=300), to identify the mutations in the EGFR gene in patients treated with erlotinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting the EGFR. Presence of mutations will be related to the expression of other parts of the EGF system, to mutations in the gene coding for K-RAS and to treatment response.
