From single-gene to multiplex analysis in lung cancer, challenges and accomplishments: a review of a single institution’s experience

Molecular selection has led to the successful use of novel tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in non-small-cell lung cancers (NSCLCs). For instance, mutations in EGFR and translocations and fusions in ALK render tumor cells sensitive to some TKIs, leading to substantial clinical benefits. Molecular testing such as DNA sequencing or fragment analysis following PCR, and evaluation of copy number and gene positioning by FISH, have been developed and used clinically to identify mutations/fusions. Meanwhile, TKIs to target actionable mutations/fusions in several other oncogenes are being evaluated. High-throughput sequencing can provide therapy-predictive information as well as identify novel targetable genomic alterations. In this article, we report our experience enabling single-gene testing, and our evolution to panel-based next-generation sequencing.

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