Frequency and type of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in moroccan patients with lung adenocarcinoma

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer predict response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. The frequency of EGFR mutations is ethnicity-dependent, with a higher proportion in Asian populations than in whites. The prevalence of these mutations among North African patients is unknown. The objective of this study was to report the frequency and spectrum of EGFR mutations in a group of Moroccan patients with lung adenocarcinoma (AC).

Tumor specimens from 137 Moroccan patients with lung AC were selected to determine frequency and spectrum of EGFR mutations. Mutation detection techniques were polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of exons 18, 19, 20, and 21.

The overall frequency of the EGFR mutation was 21%. Mutations were mainly detected in the exon 19 (69%), followed by exon 21 (21%) and exon 20 (7%), whereas mutations in the exon 18 were rare (3%). EGFR mutation rate was significantly higher in women and in never smokers.

Some one fifth of lung AC tumors in Moroccan patients harbor EGFR mutations. This mutation frequency is higher than that found in whites but lower than in Asian population. Further studies, in larger numbers of patients, are needed to confirm these findings.