title: A prospective, molecular epidemiology study of EGFR mutations in Asian patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer of adenocarcinoma histology (PIONEER).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  PIONEER (NCT01185314) was a prospective, multinational, epidemiological study of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in patients from Asia with newly diagnosed advanced lung adenocarcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eligible patients (aged ≥20 years) had untreated stage IIIB/IV adenocarcinoma. The EGFR mutation status (primary end point: positive, negative, or undetermined) of tumor samples (biopsy, surgical specimen, or cytology) was determined (Scorpion amplification refractory mutation system). EGFR mutation frequency was calculated and compared between demographic and clinical subgroups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 1482 patients from seven Asian regions, 43.4% of patients were female, median age was 60 years (range, 17-94), and 52.6% of patients were never-smokers. EGFR mutation status was evaluable in tumors from 1450 patients (97.8%) (746 [51.4%] positive; 704 [48.6%] negative). Country, sex, ethnicity, smoking status, pack-years (all p < 0.001), disease stage (p = 0.009), and histology type (p = 0.016) correlated significantly with EGFR mutation frequency. Mutation frequency was 61.1% in females, 44.0% in males; lower in patients from India (22.2%) compared with other areas (47.2%-64.2%); highest among never-smokers (60.7%); and decreased as pack-year number increased (>0-10 pack-years, 57.9%; >50 pack-years, 31.4%) (similar trend by sex). Ethnic group (p < 0.001) and pack-years (p < 0.001) had statistically significant associations with mutation frequency (multivariate analysis); sex was not significant when adjusted for smoking status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PIONEER is the first prospective study to confirm high EGFR mutation frequency (51.4% overall) in tumors from Asian patients with adenocarcinoma. The observed high mutation frequency in demographic/clinical subgroups compared with white populations suggests that mutation testing should be considered for all patients with stage IIIB/IV adenocarcinoma, even males and regular smokers, among Asian populations.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute/Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College; Beijing Key Laboratory of Clinical Study on Anticancer Molecular Targeted Drugs, Beijing, China; †Department of Clinical Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Kowloon, Hong Kong; ‡Department of Internal Medicine, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital; Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand; §Medical Oncology Department, Apollo Speciality Hospital, Anna Salai, Chennai, India; ‖Chest Department, Taipei Veteran's General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; ¶Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Center, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; #Medical Department, AstraZeneca, Singapore; **Clinical Science Division, AstraZeneca, Osaka, Japan; ††St. Peregrine Oncology Unit, San Juan De Dios Hospital, Pasay City, Philippines; and ‡‡Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yuankai
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Joseph Siu-Kie
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Au
authors.forename: Sumitra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thongprasert
authors.forename: Sankar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srinivasan
authors.forename: Chun-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Mai Trong
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Khoa
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Heeroma
authors.forename: Yohji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cornelio
authors.forename: Pan-Chyr
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D002282:Adenocarcinoma, Bronchiolo-Alveolar / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors