Dr. Gregory Riely on Using Next-Generation Sequencing to Identify Lung Cancer Mutations

Gregory Riely, MD, Medical Oncologist, Vice Chair, Clinical Trials Office, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering, discusses the benefits and challenges of using next-generation sequencing to identify mutations in lung cancer.

With so many mutations now identified in lung cancer, including EGFR, KRAS, BRAF, ALK, and ROS1, it can be difficult to have enough tissue available to test for all of them, says Riely. This means that key tests are not able to be done using standard testing methods.

Next-generation sequencing allows hundreds of genes to be tested for using a very small biopsy specimen.

However, the large volume or results next-generations sequencing provides, can be challenging to understand and utilize, says Riely. Pathologists and oncologists should focus their efforts on only the most common or well-understood mutations in order to make next-generation sequencing an effective tool, he adds.