The Snapshot Tumor Genotyping Assay for Breast Cancer

Aditya Bardia, MD, MPH, attending physician, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, gives an overview of the Snapshot assay for breast cancer.

Snapshot looks at the 130 most common mutations by using multiplex PCR to amplify mutations in breast cancer. In the 4-year review presented at the 2013 Breast Cancer Symposium, the assay was ordered by physicians for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Clinical Pearls I

Bardia says that more genotyping assays are being offered by various institutions, and that is important for community oncologists to understand cancer mutations. Snapshot is a particularly good assay because it only looks at actionable mutations.

• Snapshot is a multiplex PCR-based assay that looks at about 130 of the most common mutations in breast cancer
• The assay was ordered by physicians for patients with metastatic breast cancer

Clinical Pearls II

• More genotyping assays are being made available to community oncologists
• It is important for community oncologists to understand cancer mutations
• Snapshot only looks at actionable breast cancer mutations