A retrospective, descriptive analysis identifying non‑small cell lung cancer molecular markers

Abstract

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide. The aim of the present study was to review the histologic patterns and molecular drivers of NSCLC in patients with lung cancer. The electronic health records (EHR) of all patients diagnosed with lung cancer between April 2015 and September 2022 were obtained from a tertiary care hospital and retrospectively analysed. A total of 224 patients were identified of which 192 (138 males and 54 females) were included in the final analysis. Adenocarcinoma was the most common type of lung cancer identified, and accounted for 134 patients (70%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma in 47 (24%) patients, while large cell lung cancer was noted in only 5 (3%) patients. The most common mutations were EGFR mutations and were detected in 29 (15%) patients, followed by PD-L1 expression which was present in 56 (24.7%) patients, KRAS in 16 (8.3%) patients, ALK1 in 8 (4.2%) patients and BRAF, ROS1 and MET were present in 3 (1.6%), 2 (1%) and 1 (0.5%), respectively. The findings from the present study offer important insights into the epidemiological, clinical and molecular characteristics of NSCLC. Further research is warranted to explore the clinical implications of these findings.