Response to clinical evaluation of the effectiveness of fusion-induced asymmetric transcription assay-based reverse transcription droplet digital PCR for ALK detection in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples from lung cancer

Abstract

We value the work published by Dr Liu et al.1on the design and application of a fusion induced asymmetric transcription assay (FIATA)-based RT-ddPCR for the detection of ALK rearrangements in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) samples. It is known that the actual gold standard method for the detection of gene rearrangements are FISH-based assays, and it is mainly because of the number of fusion variants for each marker, and the fact that it is not necessary for some genes to know the exact fusion product but to prove that the gene is rearranged, in order to provide target therapy that can counter the effects of these rearrangements. Given that the design of the probes is based on the fundamentals of a break-apart FISH assay, we agree that the protocol proposed in the article will represent an upgrade in contrast to the actual methods for the detection of ALK rearrangements and has the advantage of a quantitative set; thus, providing an invaluable tool in patient monitoring for disease progression.