Age-Associated Targetable Genomic Alterations and PD-L1 Expression in 2509 Patients With Pulmonary Ground-Glass...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genomics
• Pulmonary Medicine

Background:

• Pulmonary ground-glass opacities (GGOs) represent early-stage lung lesions.
• Genomic profiling and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression are crucial for guiding lung cancer treatment.
• The impact of patient age on these molecular features in GGOs requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively analyze targetable genomic alterations and PD-L1 expression in GGOs.
• To investigate the association between these molecular features and patient age.
• To identify age-stratified patterns that may inform therapeutic strategies.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 2509 patients with GGOs.
• Comparison of tumor characteristics, PD-L1 expression, and targetable alterations across different age groups.
• Statistical analysis to identify age as an independent predictor of molecular features.

Main Results:

• EGFR and ERBB2 mutations were common in GGOs, while KRAS mutations and ALK rearrangements were less frequent.
• Tumor mutational burden (TMB) and PD-L1 expression were generally low.
• Significant age-related trends were observed: EGFR, KRAS, MET mutations, TMB, and PD-L1 expression increased with age, whereas ERBB2, ALK, and RET alterations decreased with age, with an optimal age cutoff at 53 years.

Conclusions:

• GGOs display a unique genomic and PD-L1 profile that is significantly influenced by patient age.
• Age-dependent heterogeneity in molecular alterations and PD-L1 expression in GGOs provides critical insights.
• These findings support the development of age-stratified therapeutic approaches for GGOs.