Summary of test characteristics of the most commonly used assays in the UK for RAS testing of colorectal carcinoma to guide anti-EGFR therapy
| Assay | LOD | Strengths | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyrosequencing | 5% | Cost | Certain mutations (eg, c.35G>T) are less easily detected |
| COBAS* | 5% | Speed, automated analysis | Limited mutation range |
| Therascreen RGQ PCR† | 1–5% | Speed | Limited mutation range |
| Sanger sequencing | 10–20% | Wide mutation range | Labour intensive, time consuming |
| HRM analysis | 1–5% | Cost, speed | Unable to distinguish between mutation types |
*Roche Diagnostics Ltd, Burgess Hill, UK.
†Qiagen Ltd, Manchester, UK.