High-MET status in non-small cell lung tumors correlates with receptor phosphorylation but not with the serum level of soluble form

Our results thus demonstrate that the serum level of sMET is not indicative of the amount of MET present in the tumor cells and cannot be used as a biomarker for therapeutic purposes. However, MET scoring of tumor biopsies could be a first step prior to determination of MET receptor activation in high-MET tumors.