Molecular Testing for the Selection of Patients With Lung Cancer for Treatment With Targeted Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Guideline Endorsement

Purpose

In response to advances in the field, the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), and the Association forMolecular Pathology (AMP) recently updated their recommendations for molecular testing for the selection of patients with lung cancer for treatment with targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors. ASCO has a policy and set of procedures for endorsing clinical practice guidelines that have been developed by other professional organizations.

Methods

The molecular testing guideline was reviewed for developmental rigor by methodologists. Then an ASCO Expert Panel reviewed the content and the recommendations.

Results

The ASCO Expert Panel determined that the recommendations from the CAP/IASLC/AMP molecular testing guideline are clear, thorough, and based upon the most relevant scientific evidence. ASCO endorsed the guideline with minor modifications.

Recommendations

This update clarifies that any sample with adequate cellularity and preservation may be tested and that analytical methods must be able to detect mutation in a sample with as little as 20% cancer cells. It strongly recommends against evaluating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression by immunohistochemistry for selection of patients for EGFR-targeted therapy. New for 2017 are recommendations for stand-alone ROS1 testing with additional confirmation testing in all patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma, and RET, ERBB2 (HER2), KRAS, and MET testing as part of larger panels. ASCO also recommends stand-alone BRAF testing in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. Recommendations are also provided for testing methods for lung cancers that have a nonadenocarcinoma non–small-cell component, for patients with targetable mutations who have relapsed on targeted therapy, and for testing the presence of circulating cell-free DNA.

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