Lancet
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The full eventual effects of current smoking patterns cannot yet be seen in Africa. In South Africa, however, men and women in the coloured (mixed black and white ancestry) population have smoked for many decades. We assess mortality from smoking in the coloured, white, and black (African) population groups. ⋯ South African Medical Research Council, UK Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation, New South Wales Cancer Council.
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Non-small-cell lung cancer is often diagnosed at the metastatic stage, with median survival of just 1 year. The identification of driver mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as the primary oncogenic event in a subset of lung adenocarcinomas led to a model of targeted treatment and genetic profiling of the disease. EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors confer remission in 60% of patients, but responses are short-lived. ⋯ Overexpression of AXL and reduced MED12 function are hallmarks of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in EGFR-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer. Crosstalk between signalling pathways is another mechanism of resistance; therefore, identification of the molecular components involved could lead to the development of combination therapies cotargeting these molecules instead of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor monotherapy. Additionally, novel biomarkers could be identified through deep sequencing analysis of serial rebiopsies before and during treatment.