VALIDATION OF AN AUTOMATIC SYSTEM REAL-TIME PCR TO PERFORM PREDICTIVE MOLECULAR TESTS ON CYTOLOGICAL SAMPLES

Treatment strategies in oncology have undergone considerable improvements due to a better understanding of tumour biology. Tumour tissue samples are analysed in molecular pathological laboratories to detect actionable genomic alterations. Technology is advancing at a rapid pace and fully automated platform are emerging for rapid molecular testing. In particular the Idylla™ (Biocartis NV, Mechelen, Belgium) system is a fascinating technology. The system relies on a molecular diagnostic device for detection of genetic mutations based on automated quantitative allele specific RT PCR. In routine practice, molecular testing in predictive pathology laboratories is often performed on cytological, rather than on histological samples. Fine Needle Aspiration (FNA) samples are obtained by minimally invasive procedures and represent the best option in patients with advanced metastatic diseases to guide targeted therapy. However, to date, the Idylla™ technology has not been validated on cytology, yet. In this Doctorate Thesis a large body of evidences is provided demonstrating that Idylla™ testing can reliably be applied to a wide range of cytological samples, representative of different tumours with a short time around testing and high cost-effective results.