Han B, et al. – Researchers in this study aspired to gauge the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation prevalence in Asia–Pacific and Russian patients with advanced non–small–cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) of adenocarcinoma and non–adenocarcinoma histology. This study suggested considering EGFR mutation testing in all Asian aNSCLC patients. Testing here seemed to be appropriate, particularly in those with no/remote smoking history, as activating EGFR mutations were observed in a small number of Caucasian squamous NSCLC patients.

Methods

• They regulated IGNITE (non-comparative/-interventional; NCT01788163) in 90 centres (Asia-Pacific/Russia).
• Furthermore, eligible patients: local/metastatic aNSCLC; chemotherapy-naïve, newly-diagnosed/recurrent disease after resection; ineligible for curative treatment.
• A tissue/cytology (all) and a blood plasma (China/Russia/South Korea/Taiwan) sample were provided by patients.
• In addition, primary endpoint: EGFR mutation frequency in aNSCLC patients (adenocarcinoma [ADC]/non-ADC), as per local practices.

Results

• This study incorporated 3382 patients.
• Moreover, EGFR mutation frequencies for evaluable tissue/cytology samples in Asia-Pacific and Russian patients: 49.3% (862/1749) and 18.0% (90/500) for ADC tumours; 14.1% (74/525) and 3.7% (15/402) for non-ADC; 9.9% (40/403) and 3.7% (13/349) for SCC.
• 6/9 were never-/former-smokers, among Russian patients with SCC tumours harbouring common, activating EGFR mutations.
• 80.5% (sensitivity 46.9%, specificity 95.6%) was the mutation status concordance between 2581 matched tissue/cytology and plasma samples.