Clinical Evaluation of Massively Parallel RNA Sequencing for Detecting Recurrent Gene Fusions in Hematologic Malignancies

The application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology in clinical diagnostics should proceed with care. We have evaluated the clinical validity of two commercially available RNA fusion panels, the TruSight RNA fusion panel (Illumina) and FusionPlex Pan-Heme Kit (ArcherDx), to detect recurrent translocations in hematologic malignancies. Twenty-four bone marrow samples taken at the initial diagnosis of patients with acute leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia were included. To assess the limit of detection, serial dilutions of BCR-ABL1 (e1a2)–positive RNAs were prepared using a commercial reference material.