title: Panel based MALDI-TOF tumour profiling is a sensitive method for detecting mutations in clinical non small cell lung cancer tumour.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Analysis of tumour samples for mutations is becoming increasingly important in driving personalised therapy in cancer. As more targeted therapies are developed, options to survey mutations in multiple genes in a single tumour sample will become ever more attractive and are expected to become the mainstay of molecular diagnosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in the future.
  
  
  METHODS
  238 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumour samples were analysed using a custom panel of 82 mutation assays across 14 oncogenes including KRAS and EGFR using Sequenom iPlex Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF). We compared the data generated for KRAS mutations to those detected by Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS) based DxS TheraScreen K-RAS Mutation Kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ARMS detected mutations in 46/238 tumour samples. For samples with mutations detected by both approaches, 99.1% overall agreement was observed. The MALDI-TOF method detected an additional 6 samples as KRAS mutation positive and also provided data on concomitant mutations including PIK3CA and TP53.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Sequenom MALDI-TOF method provides a sensitive panel-based approach which makes efficient use of patient diagnostic samples. This technology could provide an opportunity to deliver comprehensive screening of relevant biomarkers to the clinic earlier in disease management, without the need for repeat biopsy and allow for additional downstream analysis in NSCLC where available tissue may have been exhausted.
authors: Personalised Healthcare & Biomarkers, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, United Kingdom.
authors: James L
authors: JL
authors: Sherwood
authors: Sequenom GmbH, Hamburg, Germany.
authors: Susanne
authors: S
authors: Müller
authors: Personalised Healthcare & Biomarkers, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, United Kingdom.
authors: Maria C M
authors: MC
authors: Orr
authors: Personalised Healthcare & Biomarkers, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, United Kingdom.
authors: Marianne J
authors: MJ
authors: Ratcliffe
authors: Personalised Healthcare & Biomarkers, AstraZeneca, Macclesfield, United Kingdom.
authors: Jill
authors: J
authors: Walker
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods; D009857:Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics*; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor