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RT-PCR for Detecting ALK Translocations in Cytology Samples from Lung Cancer Patients
Shinji Nakamichi1, Masahiro Seike2, Akihiko Miyanaga1
1Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Oncology, Graduate School of Medicine, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
Background/Aim:
We evaluated the usefulness of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocations using cytology samples from lung cancer patients.
Materials And Methods:
We analyzed ALK translocations by RT-PCR in cytology samples from lung cancer patients diagnosed at the Nippon Medical School Hospital between 2013 and 2015. Immunochemistry (IHC) and break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were also performed on available tissue samples.
Results:
A total of 155 cytology samples were analyzed in our study. We obtained 115 (68%) samples from bronchial lavage. We were able to determine 153 (99%) results by RT-PCR with 4 (3%) positive samples. The four samples positive by RT-PCR were also positive by IHC and FISH performed on the tissue samples collected simultaneously.
Conclusion:
RT-PCR is a suitable method for detecting ALK translocations using cytology samples from patients with primary lung cancer, especially when tissue samples are not available.
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