Figure 8.

Effects of formalin‐fixed paraffin‐embedded (FFPE) block storage duration on DNA quality (TOP‐GEAR project). The effects of the FFPE block storage duration were examined using samples from 131 patients subjected to the NCC Oncopanel in the first half of the first term of the TOP‐GEAR project. The storage durations were compared to the Q‐values of DNA and the yields of the primary PCR products in NGS library preparation. In the comparison of primary PCR product yields, the sample data from NGS libraries prepared using SureSelect XT Reagents (Agilent) were used. The Q‐values of DNA extracted from FFPE samples and the yields of the primary PCR products correlated to some extent with the FFPE block storage duration. The low quality of DNA may have been partially due to the long‐term storage of the FFPE blocks