MassARRAY determination of somatic oncogenic mutations in solid tumors: Moving forward to personalized medicine

• We review those articles using MassARRAY technology for somatic mutation analysis.
• We describe commercial available panels and their applicability.
• We highlight the importance of designing customized panels for each tumor type.
• We reinforce the role of this technique in selecting target-drug therapies.
• Validation and concordance rates among different technologies are described.

This article will review the impact of the recently developed MassARRAY technology on our understanding of cancer biology and treatment. Analysis of somatic mutations is a useful tool in selecting personalized therapy, and for predicting the outcome of many solid tumors. Here, we review the literature on the application of MassARRAY technology (Sequenom Hamburg, Germany) to determine the mutation profile of solid tumors from patients. We summarize the use of commercially available panels of mutations – such as OncoCarta™ or other combinations – and their concordance with results obtained by using other technologies, such as next generation sequencing.