EGFR mutation detection in NSCLC--assessment of diagnostic application and recommendations of the German Panel for Mutation Testing in NSCLC.

EGFR mutation testing in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a novel and important molecular pathological diagnostic assay that is predictive of response to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapy. A comprehensive compilation of a large number of EGFR mutation analyses of the German Panel for Mutation Analyses in NSCLC demonstrates (a) a higher than previously reported mutation frequency outside the conventionally tested exons 19 and 21 and (b) an overall superiority of sequencing based assays over mutation-specific PCR. The implications for future diagnostic EGFR mutation testing are discussed.