AKT/mTOR pathway activation and BCL-2 family proteins modulate the sensitivity of human small cell lung cancer cells to RAD001.

Purpose: The Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is frequently activated in human cancers and plays an important role in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) biology. We investigated the potential of targeting mTOR signaling as a novel antitumor approach in SCLC.

Experimental Design: The expression of mTOR in patient specimens and in a panel of SCLC cell lines was analyzed.