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Review
. 2019 May 28;11(6):742.
doi: 10.3390/cancers11060742.

New Era for Next-Generation Sequencing in Japan

Masayuki Takeda  1 , Kazuko Sakai  2 , Takayuki Takahama  3 , Kazuya Fukuoka  4   5 , Kazuhiko Nakagawa  6 , Kazuto Nishio  7
Affiliations
Review

New Era for Next-Generation Sequencing in Japan

Masayuki Takeda et al. Cancers (Basel). .

Abstract

: Recent progress in understanding the molecular basis of cancer-including the discovery of cancer-associated genes such as oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes-has suggested that cancer can become a treatable disease. The identification of driver oncogenes such as EGFR, ALK, ROS1, BRAF and HER2 has already been successfully translated into clinical practice for individuals with solid tumor. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have led to the ability to test for multiple cancer-related genes at once with a small amount of cells and tissues. In Japan, several hospitals have started NGS-based mutational profiling screening in patients with solid tumor in order to guide patients to relevant clinical trials. The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan has also approved several cancer gene panels for use in clinical practice. However, there is an urgent need to develop a medical curriculum of clinical variant interpretation and reporting. We review recent progress in the implementation of NGS in Japan.

Keywords: clinical sequencing; next-generation sequencing (NGS); precision medicine; solid cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Treatment strategy for stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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