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Foreword

¹ Division of Hematology and Oncology, Vanderbilt University Medical School Nashville, Tennessee ² Thorax-Klinik Heidelberg GmbH, Innere Medizin/Onkologie Heidelberg, Germany

In recent years, our understanding of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its signaling pathway has increased greatly. Our knowledge of its role in tumor growth and progression has initiated a whole new area of anticancer research involving agents that selectively target the activity of this membrane-bound receptor. One such agent, ZD1839 (Iressa^TM), is an orally active, selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI). ZD1839 is the most advanced of the EGFR-targeted drugs in clinical development and received first regulatory approval in Japan in 2002. This supplement, therefore, provides a timely opportunity to review the data supporting its use as a novel anticancer therapy.

Dr. José Baselga opens the supplement by discussing the rationale for targeting the EGFR and how the theoretical promise has been realized in early preclinical and clinical studies. EGFR drive and the complex regulatory mechanisms involved in EGFR signaling are discussed in more detail by Dr. Carlos Arteaga. Drs. Roy Herbst, Ronald Natale, and Malcolm Ranson then review a wide range of preclinical and clinical data describing the activity of ZD1839 against a number of solid tumor types, particularly non-small cell lung cancer, both alone and in combination with existing therapies, and the associated benefits for the patient.

There remains much to be discovered in the field of EGFR research, but these promising results confirm how ZD1839, a small molecule EGFR-TKI, may offer significant improvements over existing treatment modalities for a range of solid tumors.

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