Combined PCR-based approach for analysis of ALK, ROS1, RET translocations in lung cancers

The discovery of recurrent EGFR mutations, ALK and ROS1 translocations, together with the development of effective targeted drugs, has become a real breakthrough in the treatment of lung cancer. Molecular diagnosis of alteration in these genes has already become a mandatory part of evaluating patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The paper presents a combined diagnostic approach, which allows the identification of known chimeric transcripts and new variants of translocations. Using this technique, we identified eight fusions that had not been previously described in the literature. Here, we analyze the spectrum of translocations of receptor tyrosine kinases ALK, ROS1, RET in the Russian population, which seems relevant in connection with the known ethnic and geographic heterogeneity of lung cancer.