Characteristics and clinical outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer patients in Korea with MET exon 14 skipping

Background/Aim: MET exon 14 skipping occurs in 3-4% of patients with lung adenocarcinomas. In this study, we performed a comprehensive analysis of clinical data from Korean non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with MET exon 14 skipping. Patients and Methods: Overall, 1,020 patients diagnosed with NSCLC between January 2015 and July 2017 were analyzed by next-generation sequencing. Results: MET exon 14 skipping was identified in 20 NSCLC patients (1.9%). The median age was 69 years (range=39- 86 years), 60.0% were male, and most (55.0%) were eversmokers. For first-line chemotherapy, the median overall survival was 9.5 months and progression-free survival was 4.0 months, respectively. Twelve patients received pemetrexed-based chemotherapy and the overall response rate was 33.3% (4/12). Among four crizotinib-treated patients, one continued therapy for 8 months with the best response being disease stability. Conclusion: Given the poor clinical outcome and response to therapy for NSCLC, and the availability of promising anti-tumor MET inhibitors, screening for the MET exon 14 skip mutation should be incorporated into clinical practice.