Comparable rate of EGFR kinase domain mutation in lung adenocarcinomas from Chinese male and female never-smokers

Lung cancer patients with the epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） kinase domain mutations frequently show good responses to small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors, including Iressa and Tarceva, in clinical studies. Previous studies have demonstrated that EGFR kinase domain mutations are commonly observed in lung East Asian, and females. adenocarcinomas, never-smokers, In contrast to caucasion females, most East Asian females do not smoke, while tobacco smoking is very common in the male population. This gender-associated tobacco usage may bias the EGFR mutation incidence in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Here we analyzed the EGFR mutation rate together with gender and smoking status in Chinese lung adenocarcinoma patients. Interestingly, our results showed a comparable rate of EGFR kinase domain mutations in lung adenocarcinomas from Chinese male and female never-smokers.