KIF5B‐RET fusions in Chinese patients with non–small cell lung cancer12. Issue 8 (1st February 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Cai, Weijing; Su, Chunxia; Li, Xuefei; Fan, Lihong; Zheng, Limou; Fei, Ke; Zhou, Caicun
• Is Part Of: Cancer. Volume 119:Issue 8(2013)
• Page Start: 1486
• Page End: 1494
• Publication Date: 2013-02-01
• Subjects: Cancer -- Periodicals; Cancer -- Cytopathology -- Periodicals; 616.99405
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.27940
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0008-543X

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" xml:lang="en"> <title>Abstract</title> <sec id="abs1-1" sec-type="section"> <title>BACKGROUND:</title> <p>It has been established that "ret proto‐oncogene" (<italic>RET</italic>) fusions are oncogenic drivers in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The prevalence and clinicopathologic characteristics of <italic>RET</italic> fusions in Chinese patients with NSCLC remain unclear. The objective of the current study was to determine the prevalence and clinicopathologic characteristics of <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions (fusions of the <italic>RET</italic> and kinesin family member 5B [<italic>KIF5B</italic>] genes) in Chinese patients with NSCLC.</p> </sec> <sec id="abs1-2" sec-type="section"> <title>METHODS:</title> <p>The authors screened for <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions in 392 patients with NSCLC using multiplex real‐time polymerase chain reaction assay and validated all positive samples using direct sequencing. The relations between <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions and clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed.</p> </sec> <sec id="abs1-3" sec-type="section"> <title>RESULTS:</title> <p>In total, 6 patients (1.5%) were identified who harbored <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions. Of these, 4 had adenocarcinoma, 1 had a malignant neuroendocrine tumor, and 1 had squamous cell carcinoma. All patients who were positive for a <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusion were never‐smokers. There was no statistically significant difference in age, sex, smoking status, pathologic stage, or histologic type between patients with and without <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions. Patients without <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions had a better prognosis than those with <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions (median survival, 52.6 months vs 21.0 months; <italic>P</italic> = .06), with a hazard ratio of 2.398 (95% confidence interval, 0.982‐5.856; <italic>P</italic> = .055) on multivariate analysis. Disease stage (hazard ratio, 2.879) and younger age (<65 years; hazard ratio, 1.485) were identified as independent prognostic factors for better survival.</p> </sec> <sec id="abs1-4" sec-type="section"> <title>CONCLUSIONS:</title> <p> <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions were quite rare, with a prevalence of approximately 1.5% in Chinese patients with NSCLC, and they were a little more common in patients with adenocarcinoma than in those with squamous carcinoma (1.73% vs 0.84%). In addition, <italic>KIF5B‐RET</italic> fusions also existed in patients with low‐grade malignant neuroendocrine tumors. Cancer 2013. © 2013 American Cancer Society.</p> </sec> </abstract>