A multicenter real-world study of tumor-derived DNA from pleural effusion supernatant in genomic profiling of advanced lung cancer

Background: Pleural effusion (PE) is commonly observed in advanced lung cancer. Researches have suggested molecular profiling of PE represents a minimally invasive approach of detecting tumor driver mutations for clinical decision making. The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy and precision of detecting gene alterations in PE samples in the real world setting... Conclusions: This real world large cohort study verified that genomic profiling of PE-supernatant has higher actionable mutation detection sensitivity than plasma. It offers an alternative approach in assessing tumor genomics in advanced lung cancer when tumor tissue is not available. READ ARTICLE

Journal of Clinical Oncology DOI:10.1200/JCO.2020.38.15_suppl.e21584

Authors: Renhua Guo, Likun Chen, Chengzhi Zhou, Xinghao Ai, Jun Zhao, Rongrong Chen, Xuefeng Xia

Review PaperKirk SmithMay 25, 2020DNA, Tumor-derived DNA, pleural effusion, supernatant, genomic profiling, lung cancer

Patients with NSCLCs Harboring Internal Inversions or Deletion Rearrangements of the ALK Gene Have Durable Responses to ALK Kinase Inhibitors

Background

ALK fusions are targetable drivers in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, patients with NSCLC harboring ALK rearrangements without a fusion partner identified in DNA have also been shown to respond to ALK inhibitors. We aimed to characterize complex ALK variants that may predict sensitivity to multiple approved ALK inhibitors.

Methods

Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) of DNA isolated from formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) tumor tissue or blood-based circulating tumor DNA was performed for 39,159 NSCLC patients during routine clinical care. For a subset of cases, RNA sequencing was performed, and prior ALK test results and clinical treatment information were collected from treating physicians.

Results

We queried the Foundation Medicine NSCLC database and identified ALK internal inversions, as well as internal deletions, as the sole ALK rearrangements in 6 (0.02%) and 3 (0.01%) of cases, respectively. In cases with ALK internal inversions, RNA testing i..... READ ARTICLE

Lung Cancer: Targets and Therapy DOI:10.2147/LCTT.S239675

Authors: Schrock AB, Madison R, Rosenzweig M, Allen JM, Erlich RL, Wang SY, Chidiac T, Reddy VS, Riess JW, Yassa AE, Shakir A, Miller VA, Alexander BM, Venstrom J, McGregor K, Ali SM

Case StudyKirk SmithApril 17, 2020ALK rearrangement, inversion, deletion, genomic profiling, targeted therapy