Sequential occurrence of non-small cell and small cell lung cancer with the same EGFR mutation

We report a case of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) developing after prolonged treatment (more than 2 years) for primary adenocarcinoma of the lung, and we show that both the SCLC and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues obtained from the same site share the same deletion in exon 19 of EGFR. This case suggests that the activating EGFR mutations may confer the pathogenesis of a subset of SCLC. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.