2013 Volume 21 Issue 1 Pages 31-35
Some previous studies reported the relationship between the mutation status of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene and serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level in advanced or recurrent lung adenocarcinomas. In the present study, this relationship was examined in resected lung adenocarcinomas. One hundred thirty five resected lung adenocarcinoma patients were reviewed retrospectively. Mutations of the EGFR gene were detected in 64 of the 135 patients, the most common being deletions in exon 19 and the L858R mutations in exon 21. The patients with normal serum CEA level had favorable prognosis, whereas those with high had poor prognosis. The 5-year survival of the patients with EGFR mutation-negative was significantly worse than that of the patients with EGFR mutation-positive. Both univariate and multivariate analyses indicated an independent prognostic impact of the combined use of serum CEA level and the status of EGFR mutation. There was no difference in the rate of EGFR gene mutations according to the serum CEA level. Furthermore we also failed to find the differences in the serum CEA level based on the EGFR mutation status. The rate of deletions in exon 19 and/or the L858R mutation in exon 21 was not also related to the serum CEA level. In conclusions we failed to find the relationship between the serum CEA level and the EGFR mutation status in resected lung adenocarcinomas.
