Epidermal growth factor receptor and K-RAS mutations in 411 lung adenocarcinoma: A population-based prospective study

Targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor has played a central role in advanced non-small cell lung cancer research, treatment, and patient outcomes over the last several years; however, a number of questions about this approach remain to be addressed. Through the Istituto Toscano Tumori and the Italian Association of Women Against Lung Cancer Project, we collected 411 lung adenocarcinomas from several clinical centers in Tuscany. Mutations were assessed by sequencing exons 18-21 of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene, and by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of codons 12 and 13 of the K-RAS gene. Epidermal growth factor receptor mutations (12.6%) were more frequently observed in females (p