Efficacy of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib in a patient with metastatic small cell lung cancer

Gefitinib (Iressa, ZD1839) is an orally active inhibitor selective for the epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase and has shown promise in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). There has been no report to date of the effect of gefitinib treatment in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Here we report a case of metastatic SCLC that was successfully treated with gefitinib. This case is the first reported of objective clinical response after gefitinib treatment in a patient with SCLC. Our report suggests that treatment with gefitinib is a novel option for a subset of patients with SCLC.