The relationship between different subtypes of and PD-L1 & tumor mutation burden (TMB) based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) detection in Chinese lung cancer patients.

BACKGROUND

gene mutations are the most common driver oncogenes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We conducted an analysis of the immunological characteristics including tumor mutation burden and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression of different subtypes of in 2880 -mutant NSCLC patients.

METHODS

A total of 2,880 patients with NSCLC were included in the study. Somatic mutation data were provided by Berry Oncology (Fujian, China), Geneplus BioTech (Beijing, China), Nanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc (Nanjing, China), and Burning Rock Biotech (Guangzhou, China). Z-scores were used to unify all data. SPSS 20.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA) software was used for statistical analyses. All scatter plots and boxplot maps were drawn using GraphPad Prism 8. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) expression was defined by the number of somatic mutations. The PD-L1 clone 22C3 pharmDx kit was used to measure the expression level of PD-L1. Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

We identified 2,880 patients with -mutant NSCLC. The percentage level of TMB and expression of PD-L1 was significantly decreased in -mutant lung cancer tissue and blood samples (n=162). The percentage level of TMB and expression of PD-L1 in -mutant lung cancer specimens was significantly increased (n=190).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings demonstrate a decreased level of TMB and expression of PD-L1 in -mutant lung cancer and the increased level of TMB and expression of PD-L1 in -mutant lung cancer. Further work is needed to identify if the subtype of mutation could be a potential therapeutic biomarker in lung cancer patients with mutation. TMB data was consistently verified in tissue and blood samples and confirmed the feasibility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) verification in plasma samples. Our research may help to provide more individualized treatment options for NSCLC patients.