Association Between EGFR Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and Dietary Legume Intake

This study aimed to investigate the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and its association with the frequency of legume food intake.

Clinical data from 93 NSCLC patients at Jiujiang University-affiliated Hospital (2018-2023) were collected. Postoperative recurrence status and legume intake were obtained via telephone follow-up. Fourteen patients with recurrence or metastasis were assigned to the first progression (FP) group. Propensity score matching (1:3) was used to select 42 non-progression (NP) matched patients, totaling 56 for analysis. Patients were divided into low- and high-legume intake groups. EGFR expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry and statistical analysis.

EGFR positivity was higher in the FP group (78.6%, 11/14) than in the NP group (47.6%, 20/42) (P < 0.05). The NP group had a greater proportion of patients with high-frequency legume consumption compared to the FP group (71.4% vs. 35.7%, P < 0.05). Furthermore, patients with high-frequency legume intake (42.9%, 15/35) showed significantly lower EGFR positivity than those in the low-frequency intake group (76.2%, 16/21) (P < 0.05). These results indicate that higher legume intake correlates with both reduced EGFR expression and a decreased postoperative recurrence risk.

These findings suggest that higher legume intake is associated with reduced EGFR expression and better postoperative outcomes in NSCLC patients. Legume consumption may modulate disease progression through EGFR regulation.

High legume intake correlates with improved prognosis and lower EGFR expression in NSCLC. Further large-scale prospective studies are needed to validate these associations and explore their clinical implications.