In the ISEL trial, high EGFR copy was associated with a survival benefit in patients receiving gefitinib compared with placebo (HR 0.61; P=0.067), whereas no benefit was observed in patients with FISH-negative tumours (HR 1.16; P=0.417; comparison of HRs high vs low copy number; P=0.045; Hirsch et al, 2006). This evidence concerns the gene EGFR and neoplasm.