Annotation of Sequence Variants in Cancer Samples: Processes and Pitfalls for Routine Assays in the Clinical Laboratory

Prioritization of patients for germline testing based on tumor profiling of hematopoietic malignancies

Germline predisposition to hematopoietic malignancies is more common than previously appreciated, with several clinical guidelines advocating for cancer risk testing in an expanding pool of patients. As molecular profiling of tumor cells becomes a standard practice for prognostication and defining options for targeted therapies, recognition that germline variants are present in all cells and can be identified by such testing becomes paramount. Although not to be substituted for proper germline cancer risk testing, tumor-based profiling can help prioritize DNA variants likely to be of germline origin, especially when they are present on sequential samples and persist into remission. Performing germline genetic testing as early during patient work-up as possible allows time to plan allogeneic stem cell transplantation using appropriate donors and optimize post-transplant prophylaxis. Health care providers need to be attentive to the differences between molecular profiling of tumor cells and germline genetic testing regarding ideal sample types, platform designs, capabilities, and limitations, to allow testing data to be interpreted as comprehensively as possible. The myriad of mutation types and growing number of genes involved in germline predisposition to hematopoietic malignancies makes reliance on detection of deleterious alleles using tumor-based testing alone very difficult and makes understanding how to ensure adequate testing of appropriate patients paramount.

Molecular analysis of circulating tumor DNA from breast cancer patients before and after surgery and following adjuvant chemotherapy

The primary aim of the present study is to provide a complex molecular profile of tumors using liquid biopsy and to monitor profile changes over time in association with surgery and administered adjuvant therapy. Our secondary aim was to compare the liquid biopsy profile with the tissue biopsy and assess concordance. A total of 27 samples of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) collected from 9 breast cancer patients at three different time points and their matched formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples of primary tumor were analyzed with targeted next-generation sequencing. Somatic pathogenic variants were detected before surgery in samples from 5 patients (55.6%). The most frequently mutated genes were phosphatase and tensin homolog (4/9, 44.4%) and tumor protein 53 (4/9, 44.4%). Serial sampling of ctDNA enabled the detection of more variants compared with single-time tissue primary tumor biopsy. There were 17 ctDNA variants across all samples, but only 6 FFPE variants across all patients. In addition, the concordance between ctDNA and FFPE DNA was determined in only 1 patient, and this was connected with higher variant allele frequency. The findings of the present study suggest that liquid biopsy and tissue biopsy may be used as complementary analyses to adequately capture all tumor variants.

The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics: 20 Years Defining Professional Practice

This editorial highlights 20 years of JMD defining professional practice.

Targeted Detection of Single-Nucleotide Variations: Progress and Promise

Advances in nucleic acid sequencing and genotyping technologies have facilitated the discovery of an increasing number of single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) associated with disease onset, progression, and response to therapy. The reliable detection of such disease-specific SNVs can ensure timely and effective therapeutic action, enabling precision medicine. This has driven extensive efforts in recent years to develop novel methods for the fast and cost-effective analysis of targeted SNVs. In this Review, we highlight the most recent and significant advances made toward the development of such methodologies.

The current state of clinical interpretation of sequence variants

Accurate and consistent variant classification is required for Precision Medicine. But clinical variant classification remains in its infancy. While recent guidelines put forth jointly by the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and Association of Molecular Pathology (AMP) for the classification of Mendelian variants has advanced the field, the degree of subjectivity allowed by these guidelines can still lead to inconsistent classification across clinical molecular genetic laboratories. In addition, there are currently no such guidelines for somatic cancer variants, only published institutional practices. Additional variant classification guidelines, including disease- or gene-specific criteria, along with inter-laboratory data sharing is critical for accurate and consistent variant interpretation.

Current practices and guidelines for clinical next-generation sequencing oncology testing

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) has been rapidly integrated into molecular pathology, dramatically increasing the breadth genomic of information available to oncologists and their patients. This review will explore the ways in which this new technology is currently applied to bolster care for patients with solid tumors and hematological malignancies, focusing on practices and guidelines for assessing the technical validity and clinical utility of DNA variants identified during clinical NGS oncology testing.

Validation and Application of a Custom-Designed Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Panel for the Diagnostic Mutational Profiling of Solid Tumors

The inevitable switch from standard molecular methods to next-generation sequencing for the molecular profiling of tumors is challenging for most diagnostic laboratories. However, fixed validation criteria for diagnostic accreditation are not in place because of the great variability in methods and aims. Here, we describe the validation of a custom panel of hotspots in 24 genes for the detection of somatic mutations in non-small cell lung carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma and malignant melanoma starting from FFPE sections, using 14, 36 and 5 cases, respectively. The targeted hotspots were selected for their present or future clinical relevance in solid tumor types. The target regions were enriched with the TruSeq approach starting from limited amounts of DNA. Cost effective sequencing of 12 pooled libraries was done using a micro flow cell on the MiSeq and subsequent data analysis with MiSeqReporter and VariantStudio. The entire workflow was diagnostically validated showing a robust performance with maximal sensitivity and specificity using as thresholds a variant allele frequency >5% and a minimal amplicon coverage of 300. We implemented this method through the analysis of 150 routine diagnostic samples and identified clinically relevant mutations in 16 genes including KRAS (32%), TP53 (32%), BRAF (12%), APC (11%), EGFR (8%) and NRAS (5%). Importantly, the highest success rate was obtained when using also the low quality DNA samples. In conclusion, we provide a workflow for the validation of targeted NGS by a custom-designed pan-solid tumor panel in a molecular diagnostic lab and demonstrate its robustness in a clinical setting.

Principles of analytical validation of next-generation sequencing based mutational analysis for hematologic neoplasms in a CLIA-certified laboratory

Targeted therapy based on mutational profiles is the current standard of practice for the management of patients with hematologic malignancies. Next-generation sequencing (NGS)- based analysis has been adopted by clinical laboratories for high-throughput mutational profiling of myeloid and lymphoid neoplasms. The technology is fairly novel and complex, hence both validation and test implementation in a CLIA-certified laboratory differ substantially from traditional sequencing platforms. Recently, organizations such as the American College of Medical Genetics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and College of American Pathologists have published principles and guidelines for NGS test development to ensure standardization of testing across institutions. Summarized here are the recommendations from these organizations as they pertain to targeted NGS-based testing of hematologic malignancies ('liquid tumors'), with particular emphasis on myeloid neoplasms.