Clinical Practice Guidelines for Pre-Analytical Procedures of Plasma Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Variant Testing

Standardization of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) testing processes is necessary to obtain clinically reliable results. The pre-analytical phase of cfDNA testing greatly influences the results because of the low proportion and stability of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). In this re-view, we provide evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for pre-analytical phase pro-cedures of plasma epidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) variant testing. Specific recommendations for pre-analytical procedures were proposed based on evidence from the literature and our experimental data. Standardization of pre-analytical procedures can improve the analytical performance of cfDNA testing.

Automated summary

Standardization of pre-analytical procedures is essential for obtaining clinically reliable results in cfDNA testing. This article provides evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the pre-analytical phase procedures of plasma EGFR variant testing. By standardizing pre-analytical procedures, the analytical performance of cfDNA testing can be improved.