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Editor’s note: The phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway generates a lipid, which acts as a second messenger to activate the AKT protein kinase pathway through serine and threonine kinases. Activation of AKT plays a pivotal role in fundamental cellular functions such as cell growth and proliferation, motility, and survival. Mutations in the gene that encodes PI3K,
PI3KCA have been shown to result in alterations in the PI3K–AKT signaling pathway, which are frequently observed in human cancers including those of the breast, colon, endometrium, gastrointestinal tract, liver, and ovary (
Br J Cancer 2006;94:455–59). The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is an upstream activator of PI3K that is frequently mutated in tumors and monoclonal antibodies specific for EGFR (such as cetuximab or panitumumab) may affect the PI3K/AKT pathway.