Testing for EGFR variants in pleural and pericardial effusion cell-free DNA in NSCLC patients

Molecular testing in NSCLC is commonly limited by inadequate tumor sample, while plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) genotyping is specific but only moderately sensitive. A prospective study at two centers in Hong Kong evaluated testing for EGFR variants in pleural and pericardial effusion cfDNA (PE-cfDNA) by ddPCR. The study showed that EGFR variants could be accurately detected from PE-cfDNA in patients with advanced NSCLC. The authors conclude that PE-cfDNA can complement plasma and tumor genotyping in these patients.