NTRK Gene Fusion Testing
NTRK gene fusions are an important actionable alteration found in multiple tumour types.1,2 It is recommended to test for NTRK gene fusions in advanced solid tumours.3 Bayer continues to support testing for clinicians to determine whether their patients’ cancer has an NTRK gene fusion.
The presence of TRK fusion proteins has been associated with more aggressive cancer in some tumour types, highlighting an unmet medical need among TRK fusion cancer patients. While NTRK gene fusions were one of the first oncogenes identified, they are not routinely tested for and/or included on all test platforms. TRK fusion cancers can be detected through a number of testing methodologies; however, only sensitive and specific tests can reliably detect NTRK gene fusions.1,4-6
Testing for NTRK gene fusions is essential to identify patients who harbour these genomic alterations3
Learn how to access NTRK gene fusion testing for your patients
Bayer’s FastTRK Complimentary Testing Program has changed as of April 1st, 2023. For eligible patients, FastTRK will offer Pan-TRK Immunohistochemistry (IHC) followed by NTRK1/NTRK2/NTRK3 gene fusion test by NGS if IHC is positive. Availability varies based on your region. Select ‘Request Testing’ to learn more about what’s available.
NTRK = neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase; TRK = tropomyosin receptor kinase; NGS = next-generation sequencing.
References:
1. Vaishnavi A, et al. TRKing Down an Old Oncogene in a New Era of Targeted Therapy. Cancer Discov. 2015;5(1):25–34.
2. Okimoto RA, et al. Tracking down response and resistance to TRK inhibitors. Cancer Discov. 2016;6(1):14–16.
3. Kummar S, et al. TRK Inhibition: A New Tumor-Agnostic Treatment Strategy. Target Oncol. 2018;13(5):545-556.
4. Lange AM, et al. Inhibiting TRK proteins in clinical cancer therapy. Cancers. 2018;10(4):E105. doi:10.3390/cancers10040105.
5. Musholt TJ, et al. Prognostic significance of RET and NTRK1 rearrangements in sporadic papillary thyroid carcinoma. Surgery. 2000;128(6):984-993.
6. Kumar-Sinha C, et al. Landscape of gene fusions in epithelial cancers: seq and ye shall find. Genome Med. 2015;7:129.
The FastTRK Complimentary Testing Program may be updated over time. Make sure you visit this site to check for updates.
