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Janina Longtine, MD, chief, Molecular Diagnostics, and colleague Neal Lindeman, MD, of the Department of Pathology, have played a key role in bringing to BWH and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute a diagnostic test that predicts lung cancer patients’ responsiveness to specialized treatment. The test, which analyzes mutations of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene, takes advantage of research by DFCI and MGH investigators showing that the 10 percent of lung cancer patients who respond to the drug Iressa (gefitinib) have a specific molecular marker.
According to Longtine, “Preparing to offer EGFR has been a matter of close collaboration with some of our sister organizations, specifically the Laboratory for Molecular Medicine within the Harvard Medical School-Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics and Genomics that has high volume gene sequencing capabilities,” she said. “The ability to screen patients for more tailored drug therapy has very important benefits for patients and doctors and is indicative of the medical treatment many researchers are pursuing for the future.”