The hypothesized link between EGFR and cancer was strengthened when in vitro studies showed infection of NIH-3T3 cells with either retrovirus encoding EGFR, or a eukaryotic vector encoding EGFR cDNA, induced a transformed phenotype (Di Fiore et al. 1987; Velu et al. 1987). The gene discussed is EGFR; the disease is infection.