Abstract 1737: ALK rearrangement analysis in circulating tumor cells of lung cancer patients

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 77; no. 13_Supplement; p. 1737
• Main Authors: Jeon, Min Kyung, Kim, Young Hun, Hwang, Eunjoo, Lee, Hye Seon, Uh, Ji-hyun, Kim, Myoung Shin, Park, JooKyung, Jeon, Byung Hee, Lee, Se-Hoon
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.07.2017
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1737

Abstract The evaluation of ALK rearrangement in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a significant tool when considering chemotherapy. It is not always possible to perform a tumor biopsy in patients. We suggest isolation and culturing of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as an alternative tool to a tumor biopsy for the diagnosis of ALK rearrangement. From 22 patients with NSCLC harboring ALK rearrangement, blood samples were collected and divided into two parts: one for immunofluorescence staining of CTC marker and the other for culturing of CTCs. Both samples were processed by size-based filtration, and Cultured CTCs were analyzed for EML4-ALK translocation by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using Vysis ALK break apart FISH probe kit. CTC culturing was successful in 18 of 22 cases (81.8%). Among 18 cases of successful CTC cultures, 13 cases showed ALK rearrangement positivity (72.2%). Therefore, we suggest that the CTCs can be used as an alternative method to tissue biopsy for diagnosing ALK rearrangement. In addition, this method may have clinical applications including serial blood sampling for the development of personalized cancer therapy based on individual genomic information. Citation Format: Min Kyung Jeon, Young Hun Kim, Eunjoo Hwang, Hye Seon Lee, Ji-hyun Uh, Myoung Shin Kim, JooKyung Park, Byung Hee Jeon, Se-Hoon Lee. ALK rearrangement analysis in circulating tumor cells of lung cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1737. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1737