2024 Asia Conference on Lung Cancer (ACLC) - Poster & ePosters-PP02.04

PP02.04 - Ge Chen

Pdf Summary

This retrospective study investigates the radiological and pathological characteristics of early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with RET gene fusion. RET fusion is a key driver mutation in NSCLC and provides a target for therapeutic interventions. Conducted between June 2021 and December 2022, the study used next-generation sequencing data from Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital and the Third People’s Hospital of Chengdu.<br /><br />The study focused on analyzing computed tomography (CT) imaging and clinicopathological features of patients diagnosed with early-stage RET-fusion NSCLC. Among the reviewed cases, the prevalence of RET-fusion in NSCLC patients was 1.7% (75 out of 4351). Notably, early-stage RET-fusion NSCLC tumors (49 out of the early-stage group) were predominantly subsolid, peripheral, and irregular, and lacked lymphadenopathy. They often showed a moderately differentiated, intermediate-grade histological pattern, primarily of the acinar subtype, with most lacking additional co-mutation genes.<br /><br />In contrast, late-stage RET-fusion NSCLC tumors showed characteristics like being solid, central, and lobulated with single or multiple lymphadenopathies and commonly had co-mutations involving genes such as TP53 and MYC. No significant disparities were found concerning patient demographics like age, gender, smoking history, or certain radiological features like air bronchogram, calcification, cavitation, and pleural indentation.<br /><br />The findings emphasize the distinct features of early-stage RET-fusion NSCLC and suggest that these tumors typically evolve from subsolid patterns in early stages to more solid formations in later stages. This underscores the potential need for further research to understand the progression of RET-fusion NSCLC and to better exploit these characteristics for diagnosis and treatment strategies. The study highlights significant differences in the characteristics between early and late-stage tumors that could influence therapeutic approaches and outcomes.

Keywords

RET fusion

NSCLC

early-stage

radiological characteristics

pathological characteristics

next-generation sequencing

computed tomography

clinicopathological features

therapeutic interventions

tumor progression