Mutations at the splice sites of exon 14 of MET gene: a new target for sarcomatoid carcinomas?

The pulmonary sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC) represents less than 1% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Its prognosis is worse than that of other histological subtypes, by its particular aggressiveness and resistance to conventional therapies (1,2). Therefore, alternative therapies are sought, via immunotherapy or targeting molecular abnormalities. Liu et al. performed in Asian patients whole exome sequencing of 10 samples from SC followed by targeted sequencing of a set of five key genes on a validation cohort with 26 samples (3). The first analysis of the 10 samples showed two samples with mutations at the splice sites of exon 14 of MET. Subsequent targeted mutation screening of all 36 tumors confirmed these 2 mutations and identified 6 additional tumors with DNA alterations leading to exon 14 skipping.