Comprehensive Molecular Characterization of Young Chinese Patients with Lung Adenocarcinoma Identified a Distinctive Genetic Profile

Abstract

Further investigation is needed to understand the genomics and clinical characteristics of young patients with lung adenocarcinoma. In the present study, hybrid capture-based next-generation sequencing assays were used to identify targeted genetic alterations in young lung adenocarcinoma patients. Young patients with lung adenocarcinoma, aged less than 45 years, harbored a higher frequency of <i>ALK</i> and <i>HER2</i> genetic alterations compared with patients aged more than 46 years. Dramatically, concurrent <i>EGFR</i>/<i>TP53</i> mutations were much more prevalent in younger patients, which had a poor response to treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor kinase inhibitor. These results reveal a distinctive genetic profile in younger patients with adenocarcinoma, which might improve the treatment of this subpopulation.