Assessment of EGFR mutations in circulating tumor cell preparations from NSCLC patients by next generation sequencing: toward a real-time liquid biopsy for treatment.

Introduction: Assessment of EGFR mutation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is mandatory for optimization of pharmacologic treatment. In this respect, mutation analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) may be desirable since they may provide real-time information on patient's disease status.

Experimental Design: Blood samples were collected from 37 patients enrolled in the TRIGGER study, a prospective phase II multi-center trial of erlotinib treatment in advanced NSCLC patients with activating EGFR mutations in tumor tissue.

Effective assessment of egfr mutation status in bronchoalveolar lavage and pleural fluids by next-generation sequencing.

Purpose: The therapeutic choice for patients with lung adenocarcinoma depends on the presence of EGF receptor (EGFR) mutations. In many cases, only cytologic samples are available for molecular diagnosis. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and pleural fluid, which represent a considerable proportion of cytologic specimens, cannot always be used for molecular testing because of low rate of tumor cells.