Multiplex testing of driver mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLCs) of African-American (AA) patients.

7561 Background: Recently driver genetic alterations have been identified in NSCLC that can be targeted for therapeutic interventions. Previous reports have suggested that rates of certain mutations may vary according to ethnic background. We conducted multiplex testing of NSCLCs of AA and white patients to assess variability in the mutation rates by race. Methods: We identified tumor tissues of 136 AA and 320 white NSCLC patients collected as part of three different institutional review board approved studies. Using the Sequenom MassArray system and a multiplexed panel, we analyzed tumor DNA for 214 oncogenic mutations in 26 genes previously identified in NSCLC. Estimated risk (Odds Ratios (OR)) of any mutation and specific gene mutations among AA patients compared to white patients were calculated after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status and histology (adenocarcinoma versus non-adenocarcinoma). Information on smoking status was unavailable on 46 patients and was not included in calculations of ORs f...