Episode 1, Chapter 2 of the Breakroom focuses on how single-gene testing in lung cancer is still common, despite guidelines for broad molecular profiling. This is especially true in community oncology, where a large number of single-gene testing (such as EGFR and ALK) are still standard. In fact, broad molecular profiling is often adopted just to address the scarcity of tissue samples.
A broad approach is critical for lung cancer patients because unidentified genes can potentially lead to poor clinical outcomes. A crucial example is the use of immunotherapy before targeted therapy in cases of advanced NSCLC.
This discussion concentrates on identifying and removing the barriers to making broad-molecular profiling more efficient, including obtaining data quickly, a multidisciplinary team and integrating electronic medical records (EMR).