Background: FISH and IHC are commonly used and the golden standard for testing ALK rearrangement. However, they provide no information on fusion types or mutation status of other genes, which could be important prognostic factors. In addition, a tissue biopsy is not always applicable/preferred by pts. Conclusion: Information on ALK fusion types, concomitant mutations, and mutation frequencies provided by NGS could be valuable prognostic factors and deserves further investigation. ctDNA NGS could be used as an effective alternative to identify ALK+ pts, especially for elderly pts, when tissue biopsy is inapplicable or not preferred. READ ARTICLE
Journal of Thoracic Oncology DOI:10.1016/j.jtho.2019.08.1198
Authors: Y. He, J. Zhao, C. Liu, R. Chen, X. Xia
