EGFR with TKI-sensitive mutations in exon 19 is highly expressed and frequently detected in Chinese patients with lung squamous carcinoma

• Published in: OncoTargets and therapy 2017-01, Vol.10, p.4607-4613
• Main Authors: Memon, Aadil Ahmed, Zhang, Haiping, Gu, Ye, Luo, Qian, Shi, Jiajun, Deng, Zixin, Ma, Jian, Ma, Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bias; Biotechnology; Cancer therapies; Care and treatment; Chemotherapy; Clinical outcomes; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Development and progression; DNA; Enzyme inhibitors; Epidermal growth factor; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Kinases; Lung cancer; Lung cancer, Non-small cell; Medical prognosis; Mutation; Non-small cell lung carcinoma; Original Research; Polymerase chain reaction; Squamous cell carcinoma; Studies
• ISSN: 1178-6930; 1178-6930
• DOI: 10.2147/OTT.S130051

Recently, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been recommended as a first-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), significantly improving the treatment outcomes of lung adenocarcinoma patients with the EGFR mutation. However, the application of TKIs for lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), the second largest pathological subtype of NSCLC, remains controversial because available data for the EGFR mutation profile and frequency in SCC patients are limited. In this study, 89 bronchoscopic-biopsy specimens from Chinese SCC male patients were assayed for EGFR exon 19 mutation, using improved polymerase chain reaction-denature gel gradient electrophoresis. EGFR exon 19 mutations were detected in 77 of 89 (86.5%) patients, and included six kinds of point mutations (11.6%) and two deletions (Del_747-751 [64.9%] and Del_746-751 [23.3%]). We found that the proportion of mutated EGFR varied from 0.98% to 100% in positive specimens and increased with the development of the disease. The difference of proportion between Stage IV patients and Stage II patients or Stage III patients was significant (