Targeted mutation analysis on the ctDNA of the 100 mutation-positive patients

Considerable body of evidence exists on analysis of ctDNA as a circulating biomarker to guide decisions for personalized treatment.22 Recent studies have shown high concordance (94%), sensitivity (66%) and specificity (100%) between EGFR mutations from ctDNA and tumor tissue in NSCLC.23 Here, an established method for ctDNA analysis will be implemented. The Laboratory of Tumor Biology (UOC) developed technology to analyze high-quality nucleic acid biomarkers from plasma and serum, using qPCR-based methods for the detection of genetic alterations. The developed assays are based on a 5´nuclease TaqMan combined with allele-specific Protein-Nucleic Acid (PNA) probes, in some cases in combination with digital PCR.