CONTEXT: Relatively small scale RWE study (102 patients) on the variation in biomarker testing in NSCLC patients in the Netherlands.
IMPACT: Low
READ TIME: 1 min
Quality Level Mean [1 – 10]: 7
1. “A study published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics analyzing variations in biomarker testing in clinical practice for patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) found substantial variation in both test utilization and sequences.1. When taking into consideration current costs of biomarker testing, the research team concluded that replacing current biomarker testing with whole-genome sequencing resulted in cost savings for only 2% of patients included in the research.”
2. ““While there is a lot of interest in the use of real-world data to analyze treatment variation and outcomes, this study demonstrates the importance of identifying variation in the use of molecular tests as the gateway to most cancer treatments,” lead investigator Professor Maarten IJzerman of the University of Twente in Enschede, the Netherlands, said in a press release.2. The team of investigators analyzed the biomarker testing history of 102 patients with stage IV NSCLC previously referred to a comprehensive cancer center in the Netherlands.”
3. “Of note, the number of patients who would see a decreased or equal cost for testing if the entire test sequence was replaced by whole-genome sequencing ranged from 2 to 29 patients, depending on the assumed cost for each.”
4. ““We have shown that it is currently unlikely that replacing the current practice of molecular testing in lung cancer with whole-genome sequencing will be cost saving,” first author Michiel van de Ven, PhD candidate, of the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, said in a press release.”
5. “Real-World Utilization of Biomarker Testing for Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in a Tertiary Referral Center and Referring Hospitals.”