Summary of presentations from the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2010) focus on tumor biology and biomarkers related to lung cancer

Our plain-English summary of Summary of presentations from the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2010) focus on tumor biology and biomarkers related to lung cancer, by J. Subramanian, L. Corrales, D. Soulieres, et al (Journal of Thoracic Oncology, 2011).

The study

• Authors: J. Subramanian, L. Corrales, D. Soulieres, D. Morgensztern, R. Govindan
• Journal: Journal of Thoracic Oncology
• Published: 2011;6(2):399-403
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Globally, lung cancer remains the most common cause of cancer-related death. In recent years, it has become clear that development of rational molecular targeted therapies is critical to improve the outcomes of patients with lung cancer. A better understanding of the tumor biology is crucial to achieve this goal. Several new findings in the field of tumor biology were presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Novel genetic mutations were identified in pleural mesothelioma using array-based technologies. Several studies on the development and testing of new molecular diagnostic tests to detect epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase mutations and EML4-ALK (Echinoderm Microtubule-associated Protein like 4 Anaplastic Lymphoma Receptor Tyrosine Kinase) fusion gene were presented as well.

In plain English

This article was a brief review summarizing selected lung cancer tumor-biology and biomarker presentations from the 2010 annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The findings it described came from the presented studies, not from new research by the review's authors. Most topics concerned non-small cell lung cancer, including tests for EGFR mutations and the EML4-ALK fusion gene. One presented retrospective study of 2080 patients with lung adenocarcinoma found EGFR mutations in 264 of 540 (49%) never smokers and 19 of 352 (5%) current smokers. One section covered pleural mesothelioma, which the review noted is associated with asbestos exposure. In a presented study of 53 pleural mesothelioma tumors, mutations in the BAP-1 gene were found in 12 (22.6%) tumor samples, and in 13 (19%) of an additional 68 tumors used for validation. The review reported no correlation between BAP-1 mutation status and survival, histology, or asbestos exposure. The authors stated that the exact role of BAP-1 mutation was not known and that further experiments were required.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Brief review summarizing selected presentations (conference abstracts by other groups) from a scientific meeting
• Who was studied: Studies on lung cancer tumor biology and biomarkers presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2010). These included a genomic profiling study of 53 pleural mesothelioma tumors, with 68 additional tumors used for validation.
• Exposure: No exposure was studied directly. As background, the review noted that mesothelioma is associated with asbestos exposure. The presented mesothelioma study looked at whether BAP-1 mutation status correlated with asbestos exposure. No fiber types or doses are given.
• Main results:
  • In the presented pleural mesothelioma study, BAP-1 gene mutations were identified in 12 (22.6%) of the 53 tumor samples.
  • In the validation set of an additional 68 pleural mesothelioma tumors, BAP-1 mutations were identified in 13 (19%).
  • In the pleural mesothelioma study, there was no correlation between BAP-1 mutation status and survival, histology, or asbestos exposure.
  • In a presented retrospective study of 2080 patients with lung adenocarcinoma, EGFR mutations were found in 264 of 540 (49%) never smokers, 149 of 1188 (13%) former smokers, and 19 of 352 (5%) current smokers.
  • Across presented studies of archived non-small cell lung cancer samples, the frequency of the EML4-ALK fusion gene ranged between 2 and 5%.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors called the identification of BAP-1 mutation in pleural mesothelioma a novel discovery. They concluded that further experiments are required to clarify the functional role of BAP-1 mutation in pleural mesothelioma.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The authors stated that the exact role of BAP-1 mutation is not known.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Biomarker, Lung Cancer, Pleural Mesothelioma.

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• Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: American Society of Clinical Oncology Clinical Practice Guideline Summary — H.L. Kindler, N. Ismaila, et al. (2018)
• Notes from the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Korean Society of Thoracic Radiology: asbestos-related thoracic diseases — J.S. Kim, J.G. Yi, et al. (2013)
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