LAUSR

To the Editor: Molecular testing is used for the management of various cancers as more targeted therapies are becoming available as treatment options. The complexity of treatment strategies for cancer patients has made accurate and timely genomic assessment of tumor tissues imperative for optimal therapeutic strategies. We describe a novel approach for rapid somatic mutation detection in a colorectal cancer case using a “molecular touch-prep” specimen at the time of resection. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE)1 tissue is typically used as a source of DNA for somatic mutation testing. FFPE tissue sections are processed by deparaffinization, digestion, and DNA extraction. This processing can take up to 1.5 days in our laboratory and often results in DNA that is more degraded than DNA isolated from nonfixed tissue, thereby introducing challenges to subsequent molecular analysis (1). The Idylla™ system (Biocartis) is a first of a kind, cartridge-based molecular system that provides automated sample processing and targeted mutation detection with all reagents included in a single-use cartridge. The system requires only one 10-μm FFPE tissue section and a minimum tumor content of 10%. For …