Epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status is strongly associated with smoking status in patients undergoing surgical resection for lung adenocarcinoma.

Objectives: The purpose of this analysis was to examine the relationship between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status and clinicopathological factors in a cohort of patients who underwent surgical resections for lung adenocarcinoma.

Methods: From the patients who underwent surgical resections for primary lung cancers between 2005 and 2012, 371 consecutive adenocarcinoma patients were enrolled in this study, and their tumours were analysed for EGFR mutations. We examined the clinicopathological factors of all enrolled patients, including age, sex, pathological stage and smoking status and tested for associations with EGFR mutation status.

Results: Among the 371 enrolled patients, 195 (52%) patients had EGFR mutations. There were significantly more women, never smokers and tumours of lower grade histology in the EGFR mutation group than in the wild-type group (P < 0.001 each). However, other factors, such as pathological stage and World Health Organization classification, were not significantly associated with mutation status. Multivariable analysis showed that age, smoking history and histological grade were independently associated with EGFR mutations (P = 0.026, P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), but sex was not. Regarding smoking status, especially, frequency of EGFR mutation decreased, as smoking index increased. On the other hand, sex and smoking cessation (whether the patients were former or current smokers) were not significantly associated with EGFR mutation status.

Conclusions: In our cohort of patients who underwent surgical resection for lung adenocarcinoma, EGFR mutation status was strongly associated with smoking status, especially smoking index.