Ret Mutation And Expression In Small Cell Lung Cancer

RET is a paradigm of a single gene that causes different types of human neuroendocrine cancers and non-small cell lung cancer, but the role for RET in the development of SCLCs was however not widely addressed. In this study, we aimed to study the gene status and expression of RET in Chinese small cell lung cancer (SCLC). 88 cases of SCLC samples were collected. All samples were subject to fluorescence in-situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry to detect RET gene status and protein expression, among which 30 samples were detected by Sanger sequencing for RET gene mutations. RET positive and high expression was found in 31.8% and 22.7% of this cohort of SCLC samples, among which only 1 case was detected as RET gene rearrangement and IHC high expression. No amplification or gene copy number increase was detected in those cases. In addition, no RET gene mutation in exons 10, 11 and 13-16 was found in the 30 SCLC patients by Sanger sequencing. We have confirmed RET rearrangement in a subpopulation (1.25%) of Chinese SCLC patients, who may benefit from treatment of RET tyrosine kinase inhibitor.