Success Rate of NGS Panel in Cytology and Needle Core Biopsy Samples
A next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel for cytology and needle core biopsy samples was able to meet the clinical molecular oncology need, compared to that of surgical resection samples.
These data were first presented by Yi Ding, MD, PhD, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, at the 2025 College of American Pathologists Meeting (CAP25) in Orlando, Florida.
Due to molecular testing becoming more commonplace in oncology care and the shift toward smaller pathology samples, Dr Ding, et al, stated, “a molecular test solution that provides a comprehensive genomic profile, as well as requires low nucleic acid input, is necessary.” To evaluate test validation, the study authors identified 9 major factors that affect the success of NGS testing. A comprehensive 517-gene NGS panel in cytology and needle core biopsy samples was compared to that of surgical resection samples, across different tumor types. The cutoff used for low nucleic acid input was 20 nanograms of DNA/RNA input.
Between January 2022 and December 2024, there were 2065 NGS-based tumor genomic profiling tests performed, evaluated, and included in the analysis. Of all the samples included, 52% were cytology/needle core biopsy samples and 48% were surgical resection samples. Of the cytology samples, a majority (84%) of the samples were from non-small cell lung tumors. Overall, the sequencing success rate was 96.8%. Samples with low DNA input had a success rate of 95%, compared to 100% for surgical resection samples.
Dr Ding et al, concluded that the in-house NGS panel selected for cytology and needle core biopsy samples could meet the clinical molecular oncology need. They also noted that the “quality/quantity-not-sufficient rate in this test is significantly lower than that of our previous sent-out molecular tests (13%).
Source:
Shen AE, Campbell A, and Ding Y. Do more with less: A next-generation sequencing-based molecular testing solution designed for cytology and needle core biopsy samples. Presented at CAP25 Meeting. September 13-16, 2025; Orlando, FL. Poster # 111
