I collaborated on this study that Mark Sorin and colleagues published in Cancer Treatment and Research Communications, detailing the molecular profile of a large (n=997) cohort of patients at the McGill University Health Centre, the institution where I am undergoing residency training. Québec is a province with unique outcomes and environmental exposures related to lung cancer, notably due to differences with the rest of Canada regarding exposure to cigarette smoking and asbestos.
Our results are notable due to a higher prevalence of KRAS mutations (39.2%) compared to most geographical locations across the world, as well as a significant positive association between decreasing age and a higher proportion of KRAS G12C mutations. Typically, molecular profiling is reserved for patients with higher-stage disease, and can be difficult to access in many parts of the world, even in highly developed healthcare systems. This cohort is notable due to the inclusion of patients with very early disease.
I hope that these results and greater access to molecular testing will lead to better outcomes for patients with this disease, that is unfortunately still very prevalent and difficult to treat.