Detection of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in circulating tumor DNA: reviewing BENEFIT clinical trial

The identification of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) sensitizing mutations plays a key role in the management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (1-4). Tissue specimens are not always available, due to difficulty in obtaining enough material, despite the fact that more than 70% of NSCLC patients are diagnosed in the metastatic stage (5,6) due to multiple reasons.