The identification of EGFR activating mutations and the application of personalized first-line TKI therapy to NSCLC patients has led to a doubling of progression-free survival (PFS)1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and a lengthening of overall survival (OS) to more than 2 years, neither of which would have been achievable during the era of chemotherapy6, 7. Here, EGFR is linked to non-small cell lung carcinoma.