RT-PCR detects ALK rearrangements in NSCLC patients but requires high-quality RNA, which may be difficult to obtain from small formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) biopsies in clinical practice [4] Moreover, RT-PCR requires primer-sets for each of the many different variants of ALK translocations and, therefore, continuous updating of the primers when new variants are discovered [15,16]. The gene discussed is ALK; the disease is non-small cell lung carcinoma.