EGFR and cancer: Hirata et al reported that the antiangiogenic effect of gefitinib in the vascular endothelial cells of neovasculature is partly attributable to direct inhibition of EGFR activation, and that endothelial cells in malignant tumours play a critical role in the therapeutic efficacy of gefitinib (Asakuma et al, 2004; Hirata et al, 2004).