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Review
. 2017 Oct;6(5):508-512.
doi: 10.21037/tlcr.2017.06.10.

Biology of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung

Yoon Jin Cha  1 , Hyo Sup Shim  1
Affiliations
Review

Biology of invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma of the lung

Yoon Jin Cha et al. Transl Lung Cancer Res. 2017 Oct.

Abstract

Invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) is a unique histologic subtype of lung adenocarcinoma. Recent studies document distinctive genetic alterations (e.g., NRG1 fusions) and a "mucinous gene signature" in IMAs, as well as differences in clinical responses to traditional chemotherapies in IMAs versus non-mucinous adenocarcinomas. Our understanding of the genetic and clinical characteristics of IMAs has expanded, confirming the uniqueness of IMAs. Accordingly, IMAs require different therapeutic approaches than do lung adenocarcinomas in general. Here, we review recent updates on the genetic and clinical profiles of IMA of the lung.

Keywords: Lung cancer; adenocarcinoma; biology; genetics; mucinous.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A representative photograph of an invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) demonstrating goblet or columnar tumor cells with abundant intracytoplasmic mucin and basally located nuclei, characteristic of IMA. (Hematoxylin and eosin stain, magnification ×200).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pie chart showing the percentages of invasive mucinous adenocarcinomas (n=162) that harbor the indicated driver genes [combined data from references (14) and (15) are shown].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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