Lung Cancer in Bahrain: Histological and Molecular Features.

OBJECTIVES

To define the histological types of primary lung cancer in Bahrain and to determine prevalence of EGFR and ALK mutation in patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma.

METHODS

Data regarding Bahraini patients diagnosed with primary lung cancer between January 2013 and December 2018 were collected from the lab information system in Salmaniya medical complex, Manama, Bahrain.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-three Bahraini patients were diagnosed with lung cancer in the study period. 67.1% of the patients were male. The mean age at diagnosis was 68 years. The most common histological type was adenocarcinoma (58%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (19%). EGFR mutation was found in 21.5% of non-small cell lung cancer cases with predominance of exon 19 deletions (29%) and exon 21 nucleic acid changes (21%). ALK mutation was found in 10.5% of EGFR negative patients.

CONCLUSION

Adenocarcinoma is the most common primary lung cancer in Bahrain. Genetic mutations of EGFR and ALK genes were found in 21.5% and 10.5% of adenocarcinoma cases, respectively.