The USFDA has approved the first liquid biopsy companion test, which uses next-generation sequencing (NGS) to detect patients with mutations of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The new combination of liquid biopsy and NSG will have several advantages in mutation testing. Liquid biopsy is less invasive and more reproducible than standard tissue biopsies. It needs a blood sample to provide genetic information about the patient’s tumor.
NGS can provide a better assessment of tumor composition in a single test, an advantage in evaluating problematic mutations. It can simultaneously detect mutations in 55 tumor genes, rather than one gene at a time. This facilitates the mapping of multiple biomarkers of genomic alterations and decreases the waiting time for starting treatment. The FDA has approved the combination…
