JawaPos.com A smoker is at risk for a number of diseases, one of which is lung cancer. However, non-smokers or passive smokers can also get lung cancer.
Although smoking remains an important risk factor for lung cancer, young patients, particularly women with lung cancer, are more likely to have never smoked in Asian populations than in other regions of the world. Why can lung cancer affect non-smokers? One of them is due to EGFR mutations.
“Lung cancer in non-smokers is more likely to show EGFR mutations,” said Professor, Center for Global Research Alliance and Thoracic Surgery, Kindai Hospital, Japan, Prof. Tetsuya Mitsudomi, in an official statement on Monday ( 26/12).
What is EGFR?
EGFR is the part of the cell found on the surface. The function of EGFR itself is that of a receptor or receptor protein and it regulates cell growth and development. When exposed to carcinogens (carcinogens) such as cigarette smoke, EGFR can grow uncontrollably and develop into cancer cells that cause tumors.
For example, in one particular gene, called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), mutations are highest in Asian patients (over 50% of patients with NSCLC). Identifying the EGFR status of patients with NSCLC can help clinicians determine the most appropriate treatment for their patients, thereby making EGFR mutations an ideal “biomarker” to guide treatment decisions.
However, about two-thirds of healthcare professionals surveyed in the region said less than half of their lung cancer patients had been tested for the biomarker. Expert consensus released today calls for routine biomarker testing of non-small cell lung cancer patients in all Asian countries as a necessary step in efforts to eliminate lung cancer as a cause of death.
“Testing biomarkers for all patients with non-small cell lung cancer in Asia can help improve diagnoses and reduce unnecessary procedures and ensure the most beneficial treatment options for each patient and ultimately deliver the best health outcomes “, he has declared.
The consensus is the result of extensive discussions between experts from several Asian countries, supported by the Lung Ambition Alliance (LAA). LAA is a non-profit collaboration founded by AstraZeneca, the Global Coalition on Lung Cancer (GLCC), Guardant Health and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
Lung cancer data
The most common lung cancer diagnoses and treatments in Indonesia and Asia require urgent changes to better account for patient characteristics that are unique to these regions. That’s according to a new expert consensus that was released today and published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
Around 60% of the world’s lung cancer cases occur in Asia with over 34,000 cases diagnosed each year in Indonesia. However, current diagnostic and treatment guidelines in Asia follow patterns in the United States and Europe, where patient and disease characteristics differ.
Publisher: Bintang Pradewo
Reporter: Marieska Harya Virdhani
