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Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Pre-clinical Evaluation of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Treatment of Acute Leukemia
10:49

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Published on: September 18, 2013

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Neurotrophic tropomyosin or tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) genes

Runjan Chetty1

  • 1Department of Anatomical Pathology, University Health Network, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada runjan.chetty@gmail.com.

Journal of Clinical Pathology
|January 15, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Neurotrophic tropomyosin or tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusions are actionable targets in specific cancers. Detecting these fusions via next-generation sequencing or immunohistochemistry is crucial for targeted therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Neurotrophic tropomyosin or tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) genes (1-3) are proto-oncogenes.
  • Activated NTRK gene fusions are found in various tumors, making them potential therapeutic targets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To highlight the significance of NTRK gene fusions in specific tumor types.
  • To discuss the diagnostic methods for NTRK gene fusions.

Main Methods:

  • Review of current literature on NTRK gene fusions.
  • Discussion of diagnostic platforms including next-generation sequencing (NGS) and immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Main Results:

  • NTRK gene fusions are characteristic of specific tumors like secretory carcinomas and infantile fibrosarcoma, with over 90% prevalence.
  • Next-generation sequencing is the primary method for NTRK fusion detection.
  • Immunohistochemistry shows promise, with protein localization indicating specific NTRK gene fusions.

Conclusions:

  • NTRK gene fusions represent actionable targets in oncology.
  • Both NGS and IHC are valuable tools for identifying NTRK fusions, guiding targeted treatment strategies.
Keywords:
fusion genesntrkproto-oncogenestargeted therapy

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