Background: There is limited Indian data on clinical profile and treatment outcomes for patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of lung.
Aim: We aimed to prospectively study the clinical profile and treatment outcomes for patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of lung at a tertiary cancer center.
Materials and methods: One hundred and ninetyfour patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of lung were prospectively analyzed for demographic and molecular profile (epidermal growth factor receptor [EGFR] and echinodermal microtubuleassociated proteinlike 4anaplastic lymphoma kinase [EML4ALK] mutations). Patients with EGFR and EML4ALK mutations were treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Patients without these mutations were treated with standard chemotherapy regimens. Maintenance chemotherapy was offered to patients as per standard guidelines. Clinical outcomes measured were response rate (RR), progressionfree survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).
Results: Median age of patients was 56 years (range, 26-82) with a male:female ratio of 2.3:1. EGFR and ALK mutation testing was feasible in 169 (87.1%) and 164 (84.5%), respectively, and detected in 37.9% and 5.5% patients, respectively. Overall RR, PFS and OS of whole cohort were 44.3%, 6.9, and 15.5 months, respectively. PFS and OS of mutated group (EGFR, EML4ALK) were longer than nonmutated group (10.5 vs. 5.4 months, P < 0.0001 and 21.5 vs. 11 months, P = 0.0001, respectively). PFS and OS of patients who received pemetrexed maintenance were longer than those who did not receive maintenance (8.5 vs. 6.5 months, P = 0.1613 and 18.5 vs. 12.5 months, P = 0.0219, respectively).
Conclusions: Mutation testing at diagnosis is feasible in the vast majority of patients with Stage IV adenocarcinoma of the lung. Patients with EGFR or EML4ALK mutation and those who received pemetrexed maintenance had better clinical outcomes.