Summary We report the results of whole genome and transcriptome sequencing of tumor and adjacent normal tissue samples from 17 patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). We identified 3,726 point mutations and over 90 indels in the coding sequence, with an average mutation frequency more than 10-fold higher in smokers than in never-smokers. Novel alterations in genes involved in chromatic modification and DNA repair pathways were identified along with DACH1, CFTR, RELN, ABCB5, and HGF. Deep digital sequencing revealed diverse clonality patterns in both never smokers and smokers. All validated EFGR and KRAS mutations were present in the founder clones, suggesting possible roles in cancer initiation. Analysis revealed 14 fusions including ROS1 and ALK as well as novel metabolic enzymes. Cell cycle and JAK-STAT pathways are significantly altered in lung cancer along with perturbations in 54 genes that are potentially targetable with currently available drugs.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Although tobacco smoking accounts for the majority of lung cancer, approximately 10% of patients with lung cancer in the United States are lifelong never smokers. Lung cancer in the never smokers (LCINS) affects women disproportionately more often than men. Only limited data are available on the etiopathogenesis, molecular abnormalities, and prognosis of LCINS. Several etiologic factors have been proposed for the development of LCINS, including exposure to radon, cooking fumes, asbestos, heavy metals, and environmental tobacco smoke, human papillomavirus infection, and inherited genetic susceptibility. However, the relative significance of these individual factors among different ethnic populations in the development of LCINS has not been well-characterized. Adenocarcinoma is the predominant histologic subtype reported with LCINS. Striking differences in response rates and outcomes are seen when patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who are lifelong never smokers are treated with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) inhibitors such as gefitinib or erlotinib compared with the outcomes with these agents in patients with tobacco-associated lung cancer. Interestingly, the activating mutations in the EGFR-TK inhibitors have been reported significantly more frequently in LCINS than in patients with tobacco-related NSCLC. This review will summarize available data on the epidemiology, risk factors, molecular genetics, management options, and outcomes of LCINS.

The Drug-Gene Interaction database (DGIdb) mines existing resources that generate hypotheses about how mutated genes might be targeted therapeutically or prioritized for drug development. It provides an interface for searching lists of genes against a compendium of drug-gene interactions and potentially druggable genes. DGIdb can be accessed at dgidb.org.

There is a greater representation of African Americans, Asians or Pacific Islanders, women, and adenocarcinoma histology in the younger cohort of patients with NSCLC compared with the older cohort. Despite presenting with stage IV disease more often, the overall and cancer-specific survivals are better in younger cohort than in the older cohort.

MPE is a common complication in patients with NSCLC and is associated with decreased survival in patients with distant metastases. If these data are validated, subsequent studies in patients with advanced NSCLC may consider stratification according to the MPE status.