EGFRMutations in Small-Cell Lung Cancers in Patients Who Have Never Smoked

To the Editor: Mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) occur in 10 to 20 percent of non–small-cell lung cancers, specifically adenocarcinomas, and are associated with the response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (erlotinib and gefitinib).1 However, the results of screening of small-cell lung cancers for EGFR mutations have been negative.2 Thus, small-cell lung cancers are not routinely tested for EGFR mutations, nor have they been systematically evaluated for responsiveness to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. A 45-year-old woman who had never smoked and who had masses in the right lung, pleura, mediastinum, and frontal lobe was . . .