Mutations in the Tyrosine Kinase Domain of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Published in: Clinical cancer research Vol. 11; no. 6; pp. 2106 - 2110
• Main Authors: Yang, Sei Hoon, Mechanic, Leah E., Yang, Ping, Landi, Maria Teresa, Bowman, Elise D., Wampfler, Jason, Meerzaman, Daoud, Hong, Kyeong Man, Mann, Felicia, Dracheva, Tatiana, Fukuoka, Junya, Travis, William, Caporaso, Neil E., Harris, Curtis C., Jen, Jin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 15.03.2005
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma; Adenocarcinoma - genetics; Adult; African Americans; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - genetics; European Continental Ancestry Group; Female; Gender; Humans; Lung Neoplasms - genetics; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mutation - genetics; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Pneumology; Polymorphism; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases - genetics; Race; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - genetics; Smoking; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Enzyme; Transferases; Lung cancer; Malignant tumor; non-small cell lung carcinoma; Epidermal growth factor receptor; Growth factor receptor; Bronchus disease; Genetics; Mutation; Protein-tyrosine kinase
• ISSN: 1078-0432; 1557-3265
• DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-04-1853

We evaluated somatic genetic alterations in the kinase domain of the EGFR gene in the tumors of 219 non–small cell lung cancer patients of primarily Caucasian and African American origins. We identified 26 patients (12%) whose tumors had a mutation in the EGFR gene, and 11 (5%) patients carried novel genomic variations consistent with germ-line polymorphisms. All but one mutation were identified in Caucasian patients affected with adenocarcinoma. EGFR mutations were more frequent in women and in nonsmokers, but a significant portion of the affected patients were men (12 of 26) and current or past smokers accounted for half of the patients affected (13 of 26). Screening subjects with EGFR mutations may identify patients whose tumors could respond to targeted therapy using tyrosine kinase inhibitors.