AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ejmo.7111
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ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Lung cancer in Morocco: EGFR and PIK3CA mutations as therapeutic targets and the lack of HER2 mutations

Younes El Founini1,2 ,  Sara Hafidi3 ,  Hind Dehbi2,4 ,  Boutaina Addoum1 ,  Mohammed Attaleb1 ,  Fadila Guessous5 ,  Souheil Boubia3 ,  Mohamed Ridai3 ,  Mehdi Karkouri2,6 ,  Mohammed El Mzibri1 ,  Imane Chaoui1*
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1 National Center for Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Techniques, Rabat, Morocco
2 Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca, Morocco
3 Department of Thoracic Surgery, CHU Ibn Rochd, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco
4 Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco
5 Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mohammed VI University of Health Sciences (UM6SS), Casablanca, Morocco
6 General Laboratory of Pathological Anatomy, CHU Ibn Rochd, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco
EJMO 2025, 9(1), 236–244; https://doi.org/10.36922/ejmo.7111
Submitted: 9 December 2024 | Revised: 13 January 2025 | Accepted: 3 February 2025 | Published: 28 February 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Lung cancer (LC) mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), phosphoinositide 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) genes represent promising targets for personalized treatment strategies. This study aims to investigate the mutation profiles of these genes in Moroccan LC patients and examine their correlation with clinicopathological features. In this prospective study, LC specimens were collected from 60 patients. Mutations in specific regions of EGFR (exons 18 – 21), PIK3CA (exons 9 and 20), and HER2 (exon 20) were assessed using polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Correlation with clinicopathological features was analyzed using Jamovi software. Overall, 25 patients (41.7%, 25/60) harbored mutations in EGFR, and five patients (8.3%, 5/60) had alterations in PIK3CA, while no mutation was found in HER2. Most EGFR mutations were located in exon 21 (19/27), and PIK3CA mutations were found in exons 9 and 20. Interestingly, 3.4% of cases exhibited co-occurring PIK3CA and EGFR mutations. EGFR mutations were observed across multiple histological types, whereas PIK3CA mutations were associated with adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. No notable correlations were found between EGFR mutations and clinicopathological parameters, but a significant association between PIK3CA mutations and age was observed. The occurrence of EGFR and PIK3CA mutations highlights their potential as biomarkers for personalized LC therapy. The absence of HER2 mutations in this cohort warrants further investigation. These findings highlight the importance of expanding molecular profiling to identify additional actionable mutations for tailored treatment in LC patients.

Keywords
Lung cancer
Mutations
Biomarkers
EGFR
HER2
PIK3CA
Target therapy
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
All authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing
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