Detection of Rearrangements and Transcriptional Up-Regulation of ALK in FFPE Lung Cancer Specimens Using a Novel, Sensitive, Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay

Our qRT-PCR assay reliably identifies and distinguishes ALK rearrangements and full-length transcript expression in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded material. It is an easy-to-perform, cost-effective, and high-throughput tool for the diagnosis of ALK activation. The expression of full-length ALK transcripts may be relevant for ALK inhibitor therapy in NSCLC.