title: Chemotherapy response in East Asian non-small cell lung cancer patients harboring wild-type or activating mutation of epidermal growth factor receptors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous exploratory analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutational status in tumor samples from randomized clinical studies suggested that patients with activating mutation of the EGFR had better survival than those harboring wild-type EGFR.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the EGFR sequence of tumor samples from advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients previously participated in treatment clinical trials. Responses to chemotherapy and survival of EGFR mutation-positive or -negative patients were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tumor samples from 122 patients were available for analysis. EGFR mutation was present in 58 patients (47.5%). In 105 stage IIIB/IV patients, there was a nonstatistically significant trend toward a higher chemotherapy response rate of patients with mutated EGFR than those with wild-type EGFR (44.6% versus 30.6%, p = 0.162). Female, never-smoking, and adenocarcinoma patients lived longer than male (p = 0.0139), smoking (p = 0.0045), or nonadenocarcinoma (p = 0.0151) patients. There was no difference in the survival of patients with mutated or wild-type EGFR (p = 0.2159). There was no difference in progression-free survival of first-line chemotherapy between patients with wild-type or mutation in EGFR (6.6 months versus 6.1 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a nonstatistically significant trend toward a higher chemotherapy response rate in patients with mutated EGFR than those with wild-type EGFR. EGFR gene mutation is not a predictive biomarker for progression-free and overall survival to cytotoxic chemotherapy in East Asians with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chia-Chi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hsin-Hsin
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Chia-Tung
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jin-Yuan
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: Zhong-Zhe
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chong-Jen
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: George G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Michael Kuan Yew
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Hsin
authors.forename: Kwok Chi
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Chih-Hsin
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tony
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mok
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors