Molecular Subtyping and Prognostic Assessment Based on Tumor Mutation Burden in Patients with Lung Adenocarcinomas

Abstract

The distinct molecular subtypes of lung cancer are defined by monogenic biomarkers, such as <i>EGFR</i>, <i>KRAS</i>, and <i>ALK</i> rearrangement. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is a potential biomarker for response to immunotherapy, which is one of the measures for genomic instability. The molecular subtyping based on TMB has not been well characterized in lung adenocarcinomas in the Chinese population. Here we performed molecular subtyping based on TMB with the published whole exome sequencing data of 101 lung adenocarcinomas and compared the different features of the classified subtypes, including clinical features, somatic driver genes, and mutational signatures. We found that patients with lower TMB have a longer disease-free survival, and higher TMB is associated with smoking and aging. Analysis of somatic driver genes and mutational signatures demonstrates a significant association between somatic <i>RYR2</i> mutations and the subtype with higher TMB. Molecular subtyping based on TMB is a potential prognostic marker for lung adenocarcinoma. Signature 4 and the mutation of <i>RYR2</i> are highlighted in the TMB-High group. The mutation of <i>RYR2</i> is a significant biomarker associated with high TMB in lung adenocarcinoma.