Comparison of Amplicon-Based Next-Generation Sequencing Testing and Immunohistochemical Staining in Detecting...

Background/Objectives:Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) fusion is a driver gene translocation detected in 3-5% of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based tests are the standard of care for detecting actionable gene alterations; however, false negatives remain a concern. Immunohistochemical staining is another reliable, rapid, and low-cost method for detecting ALK fusions. Previous studies have reported high concordance with NGS, although further studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on consecutive patients with NSCLC who were tested using the Oncomine Dx Target Test (ODxTT), an amplicon-based DNA and RNA NGS test for NSCLC, and ALK-immunohistochemistry (IHC) at our institution between 8 August 2019 and 11 April 2025. Results: Of 919 eligible patients included in this study, ALK fusion was detected in 30 (3.26%) patients, whereas ALK-IHC was positive in 35 (3.80%) patients. The concordance and κ coefficient of the two tests were 99.4% and 0.920, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ALK-IHC for ODxTT were 100%, 99.4%, 85.7%, and 100%, respectively. Five discordant patients were NGS negative and IHC positive. Among the five discordant cases, one had a false-negative NGS result, whereas the remaining four had false-positive ALK-IHC results, including three patients with neuroendocrine carcinomas. Conclusions: ALK-IHC shows diagnostic accuracy comparable to ODxTT, although prudent interpretation is needed for patients without adenocarcinoma. Our findings suggest the complementary role of ALK-IHC alongside NGS-based testing, particularly in patients with a high pre-test probability of harbouring ALK fusions.