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Updated: Apr 15, 2026
Next Generation Sequencing for the Detection of Actionable Mutations in Solid and Liquid Tumors
Published on: September 20, 2016
Molecular features and clinical outcome of lung malignancies in very young people
Chiara Catania1, Edoardo Botteri, Massimo Barberis
1Division of Thoracic Oncology, European Institute of Oncology (IEO), Milan, Italy.
Introduction:
We describe the clinical features, outcome and incidence of druggable targets of lung cancers in patients ≤ 40 years old.
Materials & Methods:
Young patients were compared with two other groups (41-64 and ≥ 65 years). Neuroendocrine tumors, adenocarcinoma and non-adenocarcinoma/unspecified non-small-cell lung cancer were analyzed separately. Molecular characteristics of adenocarcinoma were evaluated in a subset of young patients.
Results:
Of 2847 patients with lung cancer, 100 were ≤ 40 years old. The young group contained more women, never-smokers and patients presenting with advanced disease. The commonest tumor in young patients was adenocarcinoma. In total, 19 of 34 young patients with adenocarcinoma had tumors with specific molecular alterations.
Conclusion:
Lung cancers in young patients have distinctive features but outcomes similar to those in older patients.
