Immunohistochemistry-Based Screening for Targetable Kinase Alterations in Non-Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis with...

Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG) has historically been defined as a morphologic entity within non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Recent studies have demonstrated that a subset of histiocytic lesions with JXG morphology harbor targetable kinase alterations, including ALK and NTRK rearrangements, particularly in systemic or extracutaneous disease. We evaluated an immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based screening strategy for detecting targetable kinase alterations in histiocytic lesions with JXG morphology. IHC screening for ALK and pan-TRK was performed, followed by confirmatory fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) when feasible.We evaluated an immunohistochemistry (IHC)-based screening strategy for detecting targetable kinase alterations in histiocytic lesions with JXG morphology. IHC screening for ALK and pan-TRK, and BRAF V600E was performed, followed by confirmatory fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) when feasible. Six of 28 patients (21%) were positive on IHC (ALK, n = 4; pan-TRK, n = 2), all of whom had systemic disease, representing 46% of systemic cases. All IHC-positive cases were confirmed by FISH. Targeted NGS identified fusion genes in analyzable cases, including KIF5B::ALK and TPM3::NTRK1, with RNA-based sequencing being limited by specimen quality in some cases, while DNA-based comprehensive genomic profiling showed higher feasibility in recently processed samples. These findings demonstrate that IHC-based screening followed by confirmatory FISH provides a rapid and cost-effective strategy for identifying cases of non-LCH with JXG morphology harboring actionable kinase alterations. Integration of IHC, FISH, and NGS represents a practical and complementary diagnostic strategy to guide precision therapy in this clinically diverse histiocytic disorder.