Objective  To investigate the relationship between EGFR mutations and pulmonary tuberculosis in lung adenocarcinoma.

  Methods  We detected EGFR mutations in 506 patients with lung adenocarcinoma by PCR amplification and sequencing and analyzed the relationship between the mutations observed and pulmonary tuberculosis. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan- Meier method with log-rank tests.

  Result  A total of 218 patients showed EGFR mutations; of these patients, 25 had a clinical history of pulmonary tuberculosis. Compared with lung adenocarcinoma patients with no history of tuberculosis, patients with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis showed higher incidence rates of EGFR mutations, especially of exon 21 (P=0.047, P=0.002). Higher incidence rates of EGFR mutations, especially of exon 21, were observed in patients with lung cancer and tuberculosis in the same lobe or the same side of the lung than in those who had lung cancer and tuberculosis in opposite sides of the lung (P=0.02, P=0.03). Survival analysis showed that adenocarcinoma patients with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis have 2-year survival rates lower than that of adenocarcinoma patients with no history of the disease (P=0.039). In patients adenocarcinoma associated with tuberculosis patients without EGFR-TKIs treatment, the 2-year survival rates of EGFR mutation patients and those without EGFR mutation showed no statistically significant difference (P=0.948). At the same time, we got the same results in adenocarcinoma associated with tuberculosis patients with EGFR-TKIs treatment (P=0.425).

  Conclusion  Lung adenocarcinoma patients with a history of pulmonary tuberculosis have higherincidence rates of EGFR mutations, and EGFR mutations are not related to disease prognosis.