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Updated: Dec 31, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancements in Molecular Biomarker Testing for Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Published on: September 8, 2023
The prognostic value of tumor mutation burden in EGFR-mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma, an analysis based on
Xiao-Dong Jiao1, Xi He1, Bao-Dong Qin1
1Department of Medical Oncology, Changzheng Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Background:
Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is novel biomarker of promising predict value in prediction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPis) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the distribution of TMB in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mutant advanced lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients and the impact on overall survival (OS) time are not well demonstrated.
Methods:
Information regarding gene mutations and patients' survival time in advanced LUAD was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The diversity of TMB in different EGFR-mutant types was observed and the predicted value of TMB for OS as well as other co-mutations were analyzed. The diversity of TMB was also observed in another Chinese cohort of advanced LUAD patients.
Results:
The median TMB values of EGFR wild-type, other types of EGFR mutations, exon 19 deletions and L858R were 6.12, 5.66, 3.77 and 4.72, differences between wild-type and EGFR sensitive mutations (exon 19 deletion or L858R) were significant (P<0.001 and P<0.01). OS time of high TMB group was inferior to that of the low TMB group (24.03 months vs. not reached, P=0.0020). TMB and TP53 together will make more accurate prediction of OS in EGFR-mutant advanced LUAD patients. Distribution of TMB in another Chinese cohort had the same trend.
Conclusions:
In advanced LUAD patients, TMB was lower in patients with EGFR-mutant group than EGFR wild group. TMB was a negative prognostic biomarker of OS in EGFR-mutant LUAD patients, especially when TP53 was mutated together.

