Onkologie. 2014:8(4):156-159

Occurrence of EGFR gene mutations in patients with NSCLC in the Czech Republic

Ondřej Fiala¹, Monika Šatánková², Juraj Kultan³, Miloš Pešek⁴, Jana Skřičková², Vítězslav Kolek³, Jindřich Fínek¹, Zuzana Zbožínková⁵, Zbyněk Bortlíček⁵

¹ Onkologická a radioterapeutická klinika FN a LF UK v Plzni

² Klinika nemocí plicních a TBC LF MU a FN Brno

³ Klinika plicních nemocí a tuberkulózy FN a LF UP Olomouc

⁴ Klinika pneumologie a ftizeologie FN a LF UK v Plzni

⁵ Institut biostatistiky a analýz MU, Brno

Introduction: Low-molecular-weight tyrosine kinase inhibitors for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) are modern, effective agents

used to treat patients with advanced non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Activating EGFR gene mutations predict a good effect of

treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The goal of this study was to map the occurrence of EGFR gene mutations in patients

with NSCLC in the Czech Republic.

Methods: A total of 486 patients with advanced stage of NSCLC (stage IIIB and IV) of nonsquamous histological type were investigated

for the presence of EGFR gene mutations at three pneumo-oncology centres. A comparison of distribution of the EGFR mutation according

to sex, age, and smoking status was performed by means of Fisher's exact test.

Results: EGFR gene mutation was demonstrated in 74 (15.2%) patients. Mutations were shown in 25 (8.8%) men vs. 49 (24.3%) women

(p < 0.001), in 12 (6.7%) smokers vs. 20 (11.2%) ex-smokers vs. 38 (37.3%) non-smokers (p < 0.001), and in 32 (15.7%) patients under 65

years of age vs. 42 (14.9%) patients over 65 years of age (p = 0.898).

Conclusion: EGFR gene mutations were shown in 15.2% of the patients examined, most commonly in female patients and non-smokers.

The results obtained are well comparable with the data published to date.

Keywords: EGFR, mutation, NSCLC, targeted therapy

Published: October 1, 2014  Show citation