The detection of ROS1 rearrangements in metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung carcinoma (NS-NSCLC) permits administration of efficient targeted therapy. Detection is based on a testing algorithm associated with ROS1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) screening followed by ROS1 FISH and/or next generation sequencing (NGS) to confirm positivity. However, (i) ROS1 rearrangements are rare (1-2% of NS-NSCLC), (ii) the specificity of ROS1 IHC is not optimal, and (iii) ROS1 FISH is not widely available, making this algorithm challenging to interpret time-consuming. We evaluated RNA NGS, which was used as reflex testing for ROS1 rearrangements in NS-NSCLC with the aim of replacing ROS1 IHC as a screening method. ROS1 IHC and RNA NGS were prospectively performed in 810 NS-NSCLC. Positive results were analyzed by ROS1 FISH. ROS1 IHC was positive in 36/810 (4.4%) cases that showed variable staining intensity while NGS detected ROS1 rearrangements in 16/810 (1.9%) cases. ROS1 FISH was positive in 15/810 (1.8%) of ROS1 IHC positive cases and in all positive ROS1 NGS cases. Obtaining both ROS1 IHC and ROS1 FISH reports took an average of 6 days, while obtaining ROS1 IHC and RNA NGS reports took an average of 3 days. These results showed that systematic screening for the ROS1 status using IHC must be replaced by NGS reflex testing.
Keywords: ROS1 rearrangement; algorithm; fluorescent in situ hybridization; immunohistochemistry; next generation sequencing.