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Abstract
Purpose
Although both platinum-based drugs and third-generation drugs are commonly used as first-line therapy for patients with advanced, unresectable non-small cell lung cancer, their effectiveness and clinical outcomes vary. We investigated whether epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and HER-2 were correlated with the chemoresponse and survival after treatment with a cisplatin plus paclitaxel regimen.
Materials and Methods
Forty-nine tumors were analyzed by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) for EGFR and HER-2 gene amplification.
Results
Twenty-eight patients (57%) achieved a partial response (PR), 13 (27%) showed stable disease (SD) and 8 (16%) had progressive disease (PD). EGFR and HER-2 amplification was identified in 43% and 57% of the tumors, respectively. EGFR amplification revealed no association with either a chemoresponse or survival, whereas HER-2 was amplified more frequently in the patients with PD (88% vs. 54%, respectively, p=0.06) and in the patients with shorter survival (12 months vs. 20 months respectively, p=0.027).
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Fig. 1.
EGFR (A) and HER-2 (B) gene amplification by chromogenic in situ hybridization. A typical gene amplification appears as a cluster of multiple individual gene copies (CISH, ×400). EGFR: epidermal growth factor receptor.
Tables
Table 1.
Clinicopathologic Features and Their Relationship with Tumor Response to Chemotherapy
Table 2.
Association between Clinicopathologic Variables and Gene Amplification of EGFR and HER-2
Table 3.
Association between Clinicopatholgic Variables and Median Survival
Table 4.
Univariate and Multivariate Analyses of Cox Proportional Hazard Model
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