2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Posters)-P1.22. Plasma-First to Accelerate Time to Treatment and Improve Target Detection in Advanced Lung Cancer: A Prospective Study

P1.22. Plasma-First to Accelerate Time to Treatment and Improve Target Detection in Advanced Lung Cancer: A Prospective Study - PDF(Abstract)

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A prospective study presented at the WCLC 2023 conference evaluated the use of a "plasma-first" approach in the initial diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study aimed to assess the impact of this approach on the time to treatment and detection of targetable genetic biomarkers. <br /><br />The study enrolled 150 patients with radiologic evidence of advanced lung cancer, and they underwent circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing using a next-generation sequencing assay (NGS) on plasma samples. Tumor tissue was also tested using comprehensive NGS. The primary endpoint of the study was the time from referral to treatment in advanced non-squamous NSCLC patients compared to a historical cohort.<br /><br />The results showed that the median time to treatment was 39 days with the plasma-first approach, compared to 62 days in the historical cohort. The turnaround time from sample collection to molecular results was also significantly shorter for plasma (7 days) compared to tissue (23 days). Importantly, 23% of patients started targeted therapy based on plasma results before tissue NGS results were available. <br /><br />The study also found a high concordance (80%) for identifying actionable molecular alterations between plasma and tissue biopsy. In addition, 12% of patients had actionable alterations detected in plasma alone.<br /><br />In conclusion, the study suggests that using a plasma-first approach in the initial diagnostic work-up of patients with suspected advanced NSCLC can accelerate the time to treatment and improve the detection of targetable genetic biomarkers. This approach may increase access to precision medicine and potentially lead to improved patient outcomes.

Asset Subtitle

Natasha Leighl

Meta Tag

Speaker Natasha Leighl

Topic Pathology & Biomarkers: Genetic Biomarkers

Keywords

prospective study

plasma-first approach

diagnostic work-up

NSCLC

targetable genetic biomarkers

ctDNA testing

next-generation sequencing assay

molecular results

tissue biopsy

precision medicine