About molecular profile of lung cancer in Tunisian patients

Molecular profile of lung cancer is well known in developed countries. These countries reached the era of liquid biopsies, immunotherapy, and urine circulating tumor DNA. The discrepancies between developed countries and developing ones are becoming deeper. Because of a lack of data in Tunisia, we tried to analyze the molecular profile of non-small-cell carcinomas and to assess the morphologic subtype of adenocarcinomas according to their mutational profile.

We performed molecular analyses in Tunisia and in France of 84 patients who were able to afford the cost of the diagnostic techniques carcinomas diagnosed between 2012 and 2015. The diagnosis was established in our Department of Pathology and the percentage of the tumor cells was estimated by the pathologists. The paraffin-embedded blocks were sent to France, in 41 cases and were analyzed in Tunisia in 43 cases. A next-generation sequencing was performed in France and a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed in our country.

During the period of study, 1122 lung cancers were diagnosed and 87 patients were able to afford the molecular analyses cost. The mean age of these patients was 53 years. The sex ratio reached 1.9. The molecular analyses were not performed in three cases because of a low tumor cell rate. EGFR mutations were present in 16 cases: 3 men and 13 women. The adenocarcinomas were classified as acinar in 11 cases and solid in 5 cases. ALK-EML4 translocation was present in six cases. Mutations of BRAF, KRAS, P53, and ERBB4 genes were, respectively, detected in two cases, five cases (3 codon 12), three cases, and one case.

This study made us wonder about the possibility of implementing molecular techniques in low-income countries and about the necessity of optimizing the financial resources.