Evaluation Of Mutational Landscape In Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma And Its Co-Relation With PD-L1 Expressions

Dr. Bhardwaj Tina Neelesh ^1*, Dr. Mukinkumar P T Sonai ², Dr. Phani M N ³, Dr. Chirayu Padhiard ⁴, Narmadha R ⁵, Dr. Kanchan Bhardwaj ⁶

^1*Research Scholar, Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Sector-43, Aravali Hills, Faridabad - 121004, Haryana, India.
Email: drbhardwajtina@gmail.com
ORCID: 0009-0005-1065-3958

²Laboratory Director, Head of Pathology, Lifecell Diagnostics, Vandalur, Kelambakkam Main Road, Chennai - 603103, Tamil Nadu, India.
Email: mukinkumar.s@lifecell.in

³Head of Department, Department of Genomics, Lifecell Diagnostics, Vandalur, Kelambakkam Main Road, Chennai - 603103, Tamil Nadu, India.
Email: phani.n@lifecell.in

⁴Senior Medical Laboratory Director, Lifecell Diagnostics, Vandalur, Kelambakkam Main Road, Chennai - 603103, Tamil Nadu, India.
Email: tina.bhardwaj@lifecell.in

⁵Trainee, Department of Oncogenomics, Lifecell Diagnostics, Vandalur, Kelambakkam Main Road, Chennai - 603103, Tamil Nadu, India.
Email: narmathalakshmi2002@gmail.com

⁶Professor, Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Sector-43, Aravali Hills, Faridabad - 121004, Haryana, India.
Email: kanchan.set@mriu.edu.in
ORCID: 0000-0002-7331-7717

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Bhardwaj Tina Neelesh, Research Scholar, Department of Biotechnology, School of Engineering and Technology, Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies, Sector-43, Aravali Hills, Faridabad - 121004, Haryana, India. Email: drbhardwajtina@gmail.com

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ABSTRACT

This retrospective study was a systematic evaluation of mutational landscape of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and its association with programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in an Indian patient cohort. One hundred and sixty histopathologically confirmed cases of NSCLC were examined with a specific next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel of 52 oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (22C3 clone). The most frequent type of alterations was single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) and small insertions/deletions observed in 72.5% of cases, and fusions of genes in 21.3%, and copy-number variations (CNVs) in 5.0%. EGFR (33.1%) and KRAS (15.0%), PIK3CA (3.8%), and BRAF (3.8%) were the most common drivers. The fusions that are actionable (8.8%, 5.6%, 3.1%, 2.5%) were ALK, RET, MET, and ROS1. 8.1% of tumors had co-occurring changes, most often SNV+CNV or SNV+fusion. It was possible to test PD-L1 status in 86 cases in which 44.2% were PD-L1 positive and 55.8% were PD-L1 negative. The mutations of KRAS, PIK3CA, and NRAS and ALK fusions enriched PD-L1 positive tumours, which is indicative of an immune-inflamed phenotype, whereas the mutations of EGFR were prevailing in PD-L1 negative tumours, which is characteristic of immune-excluded. Significant associations were statistically found between PD-L1 expression and individual mutational patterns (p < 0.05). In general, the research shows that the NSCLC presents a significant heterogeneity of genomic and immunologic features, and combined NGS-based profiling with PD-L1 measurement offers a quantitative model of refined patient stratification and accurate choice of therapy in the Indian population.

Keywords: Non-small cell lung carcinoma, next-generation sequencing, mutational landscape, PD-L1 expression, genomic heterogeneity, precision oncology.

How to cite this article: Neelesh BT, Sonai MPT, Phani MN, Padhiard C, Narmadha R, Bhardwaj K. Evaluation of mutational landscape in non-small cell lung carcinoma and its co-relation with PD-L1 expressions. Int J Drug Deliv Technol. 2026;16(4s): 397-409; DOI: 10.25258/ijddt.16.4s.50

Source of support: Nil.

Conflict of interest: None