title: Predictive and prognostic value of de novo MET expression in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cellular-mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) protein has recently been identified as a novel target that shows promise for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the relationship between de novo MET expression and patient outcomes remains unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the data of patients who had been diagnosed with NSCLC between December 2013 and October 2014. All the patients were evaluated for MET expression status. MET-positive was defined as having an H-score ≥ 60 by immunohistochemistry analysis. MET expression was analyzed in 158 patients who were negative for the common driver genes, including EGFR, ALK, KRAS and ROS1. A chi-squared test was used to assess the clinicopathological parameters. Multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazards model.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MET data were available for analysis in 158 advanced NSCLC patients. Of these, based on the MET H-score criteria, the IHC-positive rate was 48.1% (76/158). There were more patients with adenocarcinoma in the MET-positive group compared with the MET-negative group (P=0.01). Nine patients with lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma had no MET expression. There was no significant difference in overall survival (OS) between MET-positive and -negative patients. There was also no significant difference in the efficacy (Z=-0.44, P=0.66) or progression free survival (PFS) of first-line chemotherapy between the MET-positive and -negative patients (mPFS 6.8 months [95% CI: 5.4-8.2] vs. 5.9 months [5.5-6.3], P=0.92). In the cell model, the MET-positive cell showed no difference in chemotherapy but with a increase in percentage of growth inhibition upon treatment with MET inhibitor INC280 compared to MET-negative cell.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data showed that de novo MET expression was not rare. It was not a predictive or prognostic factor for stage IV NSCLC patients, but this should be confirmed in larger population cohort.
authors.affiliation: Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Fei-Yu
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Jie-Fei
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Na-Na
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Jin-Ji
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Xu-Chao
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, PR China; Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute, Guangdong General Hospital & Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou, PR China. Electronic address: syylwu@live.cn.
authors.forename: Yi-Long
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012307:Risk Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: C491743:MET protein, human; D019859:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-met
keywords: Chemotherapy; MET; Non-small-cell lung cancer