Multigene Mutation Profiling and Clinical Characteristics of Small-Cell Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers vs. Heavy Smokers (Geno1.3-CLICaP)

Conclusion: Our data supports that never/ever smoker patients with small-cell lung cancer have better prognosis compared to their smoker counterparts. Further, patients with never/ever smoking history who present with small-cell lung cancer have a different mutation profile compared with smokers, including a high frequency of EGFR, MET, and SMAD4 mutations. Further studies are required to assess whether the differential mutation profile is a consequence of a diverse pathological mechanism for disease onset. Introduction Lung cancer is the most common neoplasia worldwide. Aside from the high incidence, lung cancer also leads the list in terms of mortality, with the highest number of cancer-related deaths attributed to this tumor type. In this sense, lung cancer accounts for the lowest 5-year survival rate among other prevalent neoplasms, and therefore represents a significant healthcare burden worldwide (1, 2). Nonetheless, lung cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and it can be categorized in terms of the major histological subtypes, which include adenocarcinoma, squamous cell, small cell and large cell carcinoma. Cigarette smoking is the best characterized lung cancer risk factor, and it is associated with a 19-fold increase in the risk of developing the disease, especially in women (3). Furthermore, it is responsible for 80–90% of lung cancer cases. Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) appears to have the strongest correlation with smoking status compared with ot...
Source: Frontiers in Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research