BACKGROUND: @entity1149 ( @entity1149 ) @entity5 with activating mutations of the @entity470 (efgr) @entity669 kinase are highly sensitized to the effects of oral @entity669 kinase inhibitors such as @entity4562 and @entity3866 , suggesting the possibility of targeted treatment of @entity1149 based on EFGR mutation status. However, no standardized method exists for assessing the @entity470 mutation status of @entity5 . Also, it is not known if available methods are feasible for routine screening. To address that question, we conducted a validation study of methods used for detecting @entity470 mutations in exons 19 and 21 at molecular laboratories located in five specialized Canadian @entity5 centres. METHODS: The screening methods were first optimized using cell lines harbouring the mutations in question. A validation phase using anonymized @entity1 samples followed. RESULTS: The methods used at the sites were highly specific and sensitive in detecting both mutations in cell-line dna (specificity of 100% and sensitivity of at least 1% across all centres). In the validation phase, we observed excellent concordance between the laboratories for detecting mutations in the @entity1 samples. Concordant results were obtained in 26 of 30 samples (approximately 87%). In general, the samples for which results were discordant were also less optimal, containing small amounts of @entity5 . CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that currently available methods are capable of reliably detecting exon 19 and exon 21 mutations of EFGR in @entity5 samples (provided that sufficient @entity5 material is available) and that routine screening for those mutations is feasible in clinical practice.

@entity470 @entity669 kinase mutation testing in the treatment of XXXX .

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patient'] @entity4562 :: ('MESH:C419708', 'Chemical') :: ['gefitinib'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumours', 'cancer', 'tumour'] @entity470 :: ('1956', 'Gene') :: ['epidermal growth factor receptor', 'EGFR'] @entity1149 :: ('MESH:D002289', 'Disease') :: ['Non-small-cell lung cancer', 'nsclc'] @entity669 :: ('CHEBI:18186', 'Chemical') :: ['tyrosine'] @entity3866 :: ('MESH:C400278', 'Chemical') :: ['erlotinib']
@entity1149 :: (MESH:D002289,Disease) :: ['non-small-cell lung cancer']
