Samples collection

A total of 200 NSCLC patients with an equal number of EGFR ARMS-positive and ARMS-negative cases at The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from August 2014 to August 2015 were selected as study participants (IRB number: 2016-29). The two main eligibility criteria were radiologically and pathologically confirmed NSCLC and patient consent. The other inclusion criteria were no previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy and no other severe systemic disease. We also included patients with stage I–III NSCLC who were EGFR ARMS-positive and self-medicated with an EGFR-TKI after refusing adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy. There were 108 male and 92 female patients ranging in age from 48–87 years included in this study. Samples were obtained by CT-guided fine-needle aspiration (n=35) or surgery (n=165). All samples were confirmed to be adenocarcinoma. There were 113 stage I, 52 stage II, 29 stage III, and six stage IV cases.