Intratumour heterogeneity in lung cancer

Abstract

Two independent groups have reported intratumour genetic heterogeneity in resected lung cancer. Elza de Bruin and colleagues showed evidence of branched evolution, with driver mutations occurring before and after diversification of the subclones, in 25 spatially distinct regions of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from seven patients before adjuvant therapy. Jianjun Zhang and colleagues identified 7269 mutations in 48 tumour regions. 76% of mutations and 20 of 21 known mutations in cancer genes were identified in all regions of lung adenocarcinomas from 11 patients (eight stage I, two stage II, and one stage III).