Gene expression of MAGE-A3 and PRAME tumor antigens and EGFR mutational status in Taiwanese non-small cell lung cancer patients.

AIM: To determine the frequency of expression of the tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) melanoma-associated antigen A3 (MAGE-A3) and preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma (PRAME) and the rate of EGFR mutations in a Taiwanese non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) population including only adenocarcinomas and squamous cell carcinomas. Furthermore, to investigate associations between TAA expression and EGFR mutations and to evaluate these TAAs as prognostic markers for overall survival. The occurrence of single nucleotide polymorphisms in MAGEA3 and PRAME was also assessed. METHODS: Archival fresh-frozen tumor tissue specimens were tested by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays to detect MAGE-A3 and PRAME expression. EGFR mutations were detected by mass spectroscopy and single nucleotide polymorphisms by gene sequencing. RESULTS: Of the 156 adenocarcinomas examined, 3.3% expressed MAGE-A3, 32.2% expressed PRAME and 62.8% had EGFR mutations. Of the 128 squamous cell carcinomas, 29.8% expressed MAGE-A3, 59.2% expressed PRAME and 20.5% harbored EGFR mutations. TAA expression was similar across subgroups determined by patient or tumor characteristics. There was no association between TAA expression and EGFR mutation status and TAA expression was found not to be a prognostic marker for survival. Single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified, one of which with a possible impact on MAGE-A3 expression. CONCLUSIONS: In this NSCLC population, expression of MAGE-A3 and PRAME was more frequent in squamous cell carcinomas than in adenocarcinomas tumors. EGFR mutations were not associated with TAA expression for either histology and were three times more frequent in adenocarcinomas than in squamous cell carcinomas tumors.

Implementation and Quality Control of Lung Cancer EGFR Genetic Testing by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry in Taiwan Clinical Practice.

Molecular diagnostics in cancer pharmacogenomics is indispensable for making targeted therapy decisions especially in lung cancer. For routine clinical practice, the flexible testing platform and implemented quality system are important for failure rate and turnaround time (TAT) reduction. We established and validated the multiplex EGFR testing by MALDI-TOF MS according to ISO15189 regulation and CLIA recommendation in Taiwan. Totally 8,147 cases from Aug-2011 to Jul-2015 were assayed and statistical characteristics were reported. The intra-run precision of EGFR mutation frequency was CV 2.15% (L858R) and 2.77% (T790M); the inter-run precision was CV 3.50% (L858R) and 2.84% (T790M). Accuracy tests by consensus reference biomaterials showed 100% consistence with datasheet (public database). Both analytical sensitivity and specificity were 100% while taking Sanger sequencing as the gold-standard method for comparison. EGFR mutation frequency of peripheral blood mononuclear cell for reference range determination was 0.002 ± 0.016% (95% CI: 0.000-0.036) (L858R) and 0.292 ± 0.289% (95% CI: 0.000-0.871) (T790M). The average TAT was 4.5 working days and the failure rate was less than 0.1%. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive report of lung cancer EGFR mutation detection from platform establishment, method validation to clinical routine practice. It may be a reference model for molecular diagnostics in cancer pharmacogenomics.

Draft Genome Sequence of the Serratia marcescens Strain VGH107, a Taiwanese Clinical Isolate.

Serratia marcescens, a member of the family Enterobacteriaceae, is the causative agent of various types of wound infections. We report a high-quality draft genome sequence of S. marcescens strain VGH107, which was isolated from a patient with an infection from a snakebite wound.