Clinical Utility of Cell-Free DNA for the Detection of ALK Fusions and Genomic Mechanisms of ALK Inhibitor Resistance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

ABSTRACT: Purpose: Patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) whose tumors harbor anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene fusions benefit from treatment with ALK inhibitors (ALKi). Analysis of cell-free circulating tumor DNA (cfDNA) may provide a noninvasive way to identify ALK fusions and actionable resistance mechanisms without an invasive biopsy.Patients and Methods: The Guardant360 (G360; Guardant Health) deidentified database of NSCLC cases was queried to identify 88 consecutive patients with 96 plasma-detected ALK fusions. G360 is a clinical cfDNA next-generation sequencing (NGS) test that detects point mutations, select copy number gains, fusions, insertions, and deletions in plasma.Results: Identified fusion partners included EML4

SUBMITTER: McCoach CE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6157019 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature