Table 1.

Comparison of tumour DNA sequencing strategies

	Targeted panels	Whole exome	Whole genome
Pro	High depth of coverage Readily standardisable Rapid interpretation for clinical use Low costs Easy clinical implementation	Detection of unknown variants Detection of CNVs Research applications Feasible in clinical routine Low price/performance ratio	Comprehensive assessment of cancer genomes Highest resolution of genomic alterations SNVs in enhancer/promoter and ncRNA regions Decreasing costs Subject to future studies
Contra	Limited, ‘peephole’ observations Limited value for research Limited assessment of complex aberrations	Not fully comprehensive Lower CNV resolution Amplification or exon capture necessary High bioinformatic effort Demanding clinical interpretation Time-consuming workflow	Uncertain value for clinical interpretation Most expensive

CNV, copy number variant; ncRNA, non-coding RNA; SNV, single nucleotide variant.