Feasibility of next-generation sequencing test for patients with advanced NSCLC in clinical practice

he usefulness of the Oncomine Dx Target test (Oncomine Dx), a next‐generation sequencing (NGS) test, has already been proven in clinical trials. However, NGS requires high‐quality tumor samples and takes a long time to generate results. The usefulness of a next‐generation sequencing (NGS) test has been proven in clinical trials. The feasibility of NGS is lower than other diagnostics in clinical practice especially with regard to nonsurgical biopsy. It is necessary to improve the feasibility of NGS in clinical practice. To improve NGS feasibility, turnaround time must be shortened, and larger samples must be obtained during surgical procedures. READ ARTICLE

Thoracic Cancer DOI: 10.1111/1759-7714.13786

Authors: Ariyasu R, Uchibori K, Ninomiya H, Ogusu S, Tsugitomi R, Manabe R, Sakamaoto H, Tozuka T, Yoshida H, Amino Y, Kitazono S, Yanagitani N, Takeuchi K, Nishio M.

Real-World OutcomesKirk SmithFebruary 12, 2021ALK-immunohistochemistry, Cobas EGFR mutation test, Oncomine Dx Target test, real-world analysis, turnaround time

Outcome of Targeted Therapy Recommendations for Metastatic and Recurrent Head and Neck Cancers

Recurrent/metastatic (R/M) head and neck cancers bear a poor prognosis. In this analysis, we examined the efficacy and the outcome of targeted therapy recommendations based on the patients’ molecular tumor portrait after failure of all standard therapy options. In this single-center, real-world retrospective analysis of our platform for precision medicine, we analyzed the molecular profile of 50 patients diagnosed with R/M head and neck cancer. Tumor samples of the patients were examined using next-generation sequencing panels of mutation hotspots, microsatellite instability (MSI) testing, and immunohistochemistry (IHC). In 31 cases (62.0% of all patients), a molecular-driven targeted therapy approach was recommended. Eventually, 14 patients (28%) received the suggested targeted therapy. Six of fourteen patients (43%) achieved stable disease conditions and four patients (29%) experienced a progressive disease. The median time to treatment failure was 2.8 months. Therapy recommendations were significantly more often issued for men (p = 0.037) than for women. This analysis demonstrated that precision medicine provided the basis for molecular-driven therapy recommendations in over half of the patients with advanced therapy refractory head and neck cancers, with significantly more therapy recommendations for men. Our analysis showed that although precision medicine approaches are implementable and feasible for the management of recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancers in daily clinical routine, there are major limitations and challenges that have to be overcome. READ ARTICLE

Cancers DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113381

Authors: Hossein Taghizadeh, Robert M. Mader, Leonhard Müllauer, Thorsten Fuereder, Alexandra Kautzky-Willer and Gerald W. Prager

Real-World OutcomesKirk SmithNovember 15, 2020metastatic and recurrent head and neck cancers, targeted therapy, molecular profiling, time to treatment failure, turnaround time, immunohistochemistry, gender-specific differences, precision medicine