Moreover, in order to evaluate a possible strategy to prevent and/or delay the onset of resistance to anti-EGFR inhibitors we have investigated in three models of highly EGFR-dependent human colon cancer xenografts the effect of maintenance therapy with different kinases inhibitors that act downstream to the EGFR pathway after an induction cytotoxic treatment with cetuximab plus irinotecan [11]. The gene discussed is EGFR; the disease is malignant colon neoplasm.