Dr. Lopategui on the Evolution of Molecular Testing in NSCLC

Jean Lopategui, MD, associate professor of pathology and director of Translational Genomics and of the Molecular Genetics Pathology Fellowship at Cedars-Sinai, discusses the evolution of molecular testing in non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Lung cancer, particularly NSCLC, has been the poster child for molecular testing, says Lopategui. The number of tests that are available to define and predict response to treatment is very high in this space. The field used to perform several tests in the past to categorize each of the genes and their mutations; this was time consuming and expensive, adds Lopategui. Today, next-generation sequencing is available, and this testing allows physicians to test multiple genes and mutations in just 1 test, concludes Lopategui.