Author Spotlight: Advancements in Molecular Biomarker Testing for Non-Squamous Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Nowadays, targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer require rapid detection of multiple genomic alterations. So it's crucial for an optimal care, as thoracic biopsy are often small and contain few tumor cells. So we present an ultra-fast Next-Generation Sequencing workflow that is implemented for routine non-small cell lung cancer diagnosis in the pathology laboratory.

Currently targeted NGS using different panel sizes, one gene sequencing testing using RT-PCR, digital PCR, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry are the different methods used to detect molecular alterations. However, most of these methods can be time and tissue material consuming, leading to a delayed diagnosis, and a risk of tissue exertion. The challenge lies in efficiently detecting multiple molecular alterations while saving materials and answering a speeding diagnosis.

The workflow provides thoracic oncologist with comprehensive tumor information, including histological diagnosis, PD-L1 status, and targetable genomic aberrations. It enables rapid treatment decision making for optimal therapy selection. Our protocol identify all key molecular targets in thoracic oncology based on ESMO, NCCN, and ASCO recommendations, delivers timely results even with small samples sizes and limited DNA/RNA.

And so the automated system reduced technician workload with just three hours of wet lab manipulation. We aim to focus on the rapid and comprehensive genomic profiling characterizations of tumors by developing a large NGS panel for tissue and plasma samples in the future. However, increased strategies to detect numerous molecular alterations in small sample sizes and cytological samples using large panels are urgently needed.