RT-PCR for Detecting ALK Translocations in Cytology Samples from Lung Cancer Patients

Background/Aim: We evaluated the usefulness of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detecting anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) translocations using cytology samples from lung cancer patients. Materials and Methods: We analyzed ALK translocations by RT-PCR in cytology samples from lung cancer patients diagnosed at the Nippon Medical School Hospital between 2013 and 2015. Immunochemistry (IHC) and break-apart fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were also performed on available tissue samples. Results: A total of 155 cytology samples were analyzed in our study. We obtained 115 (68%) samples from bronchial lavage. We were able to determine 153 (99%) results by RT-PCR with 4 (3%) positive samples. The four samples positive by RT-PCR were also positive by IHC and FISH performed on the tissue samples collected simultaneously. Conclusion: RT-PCR is a suitable method for detecting ALK translocations using cytology samples from patients with primary lung cancer, especially when tissue samples are not available.