Prognostic implications of immunohistochemistry markers for EGFR-TKI therapy in Chinese patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma harboring EGFR mutations

BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer predict dramatic clinical responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. The conclusion on EGFR mutation-specific antibodies by immunohistochemistry (IHC) is not consistent. We evaluated the clinical availability of EGFR mutation-specific antibodies, investigating the prediction role of mutant EGFRs and other IHC markers in TKI therapy in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed 637 primary lung adenocarcinomas from an unselected Chinese population. For IHC, antibodies against EGFR exon 19 E746_A750 deletions, exon 21 L858R mutations, thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), and Napsin-A were applied. Positivity was defined as staining score >0. RESULTS: Specificities of E746_A750 and L858R antibodies were 99.6% and 99.3%, while sensitivities were 86.0% and 82.7%, respectively. Tumors with Napsin-A positivity, TTF-1 positivity, EGFR mutations, and lepidic pattern showed a lower marker of proliferation index (Ki67). Higher expression scores of mutant EGFR protein, TTF-1 positivity, lower Ki67 proliferation index, and lepidic pattern were associated with longer progression-free survival. CONCLUSION: High scores of mutant EGFR, Napsin-A positivity, TTF-1 positivity, lower Ki67 index, and lepidic pattern were favorable predictors for TKI therapy in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma.