Mayo Clinic Laboratories offers a comprehensive genomic profiling panel for solid tumors called the MayoComplete Solid Tumor Panel. This next-generation sequencing assay — Mayo Clinic Laboratories’ most comprehensive genetic profiling assay to date — assesses for mutations in 514 cancer-related genes that have been shown to have clinical importance.

“What we typically observe is about five to 10 clinically significant alterations per case, but sometimes many more mutations if it’s a highly mutated tumor,” says Kevin Halling, M.D., Ph.D., co-director of Mayo Clinic’s Genomics Laboratory.

This panel can be used for any patient with an advanced solid tumor, such as advanced lung cancer or advanced melanoma, to identify which patients may benefit from immunotherapy or specific targeted therapies.

“Importantly, this test also determines tumor mutation burden (TMB), which is a measure of how highly mutated the tumor is,” says Dr. Halling. “Studies have shown that tumors with high TMB generally respond significantly better to immunotherapy.”

This helps clinicians establish diagnosis, make therapeutic decisions, and determine if the patient is a good candidate for immunotherapy.

For more information, listen to this “Answers From the Lab” podcast episode on Mayo Clinic Laboratories Insights.