Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2018

Translational Medicine - the uptake of pan-cancer panel testing in Australia (#311)

Lara Spence 1 , Matt Johnson 1
  1. Ipsos, North Sydney, NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia

TiTle: translational medicine -the uptake of pan-cancer panel testing in australia

Spence L1, Johnson M1

 

1Ipsos Healthcare, Sydney, Australia

 

Background and aim:

Pan-cancer panel testing presents an alternative approach to informing anti-cancer treatment decisions. With increased availability, the simultaneous sequencing of a larger number of genes can provide a greater level of information regarding a patient’s tumour.

 

This study aims to understand the uptake of pan-cancer panel tests in Australia, including which tumour types have seen the greatest uptake, factors driving uptake and whether results have influenced treatment decisions.

 

Method:

Between March and May 2018, n=22 oncologists provided data, online, on n=98 anonymised solid tumour patients for whom a pan-cancer panel test had been ordered in the three months prior to recruitment. N=23 oncologists also provided their perceptions on pan-cancer panel testing.

 

Results:

Study participants reported an average of 4 patients being pan-cancer tested per month. The highest proportion of testing occurred in NSCLC (31%), CRC (19%) and breast cancer (11%). The top reasons for testing were the additional insight over single-marker tests (31%), clinical protocol (27%) and patient request (26%).

 

Testing resulted in a treatment change for 48% of patients; 60% of these patients – upon identification of actionable mutations – were likely to respond to a different treatment option. Conversely, when testing did not result in treatment change, no actionable mutations were identified in 59% of patients. Cost and lack of treatment outcome change are the top barriers to wider testing.

 

Conclusion:

Pan-cancer panel testing remains low in Australia. Testing occurred predominately due to the additional insight and patient request, with the highest testing in NSCLC, CRC and breast cancer patients. Test results led to a change in treatment for nearly half of tested patients. When testing did not lead to a treatment change, no actionable mutations were identified in more than half of these cases.