High levels of beta-hCG in a lung adenocarcinoma with an EGFR mutation: A Case Report
This report serves as a case study of an 84-year-old, non-smoking female who was diagnosed with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and bone and pleural metastases. The serum and pleural fluid levels of beta-hCG were significantly elevated (2618 mIU/mL and > 10000 mIU/mL, respectively). Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the cancerous lung tissue revealed a mutation in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene consistent with the deletion of exon 19. The patient was treated with gefitinib, an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI), which resulted in a partial response (PR).