Predicitive biomarkers in cancer therapy

A method of screening a breast cancer tumor to determine suitability for treatment with lapatinib, comprising determining whether said tumor expresses increased pretreatment levels of a biomarker selected from IGF-1R, TGFalpha and pS6, where increased pretreatment expression indicates said subject is likely to respond favorably to treatment with lapatinib.

A method of screening a solid tumor as an aid in selecting therapy, comprising determining whether the tumor has an undetectable level of apoptosis prior to anti-tumor treatment, where an undetectable level of apoptosis indicates said tumor is not likely to respond favorably to treatment with a dual EGFR/ErbB2 inhibitor.

A method of screening a breast cancer tumor to determine suitability for treatment with lapatinib, comprising determining whether said tumor has an undetectable level of apoptosis prior to treatment with lapatinib, where an undetectable level of apoptosis indicates said tumor is not likely to respond favorably to treatment with lapatinib.

A method of assessing a solid tumor being treated with a dual EGFR/ErbB2 inhibitor, comprising determining whether the level of apoptosis in the tumor has increased from that seen in the tumor prior to treatment, where an increase in apoptosis indicates the tumor is likely to respond favorably to said treatment with a dual EGFR/ErbB2 inhibitor.