Talking the talk about tumor genomic testing
Menée aux Etats-Unis à partir de données d'une enquête menée en 2017 auprès d'oncologues, cette étude analyse les facteurs associés aux discussions, entre le médecin et son patient, concernant le coût des tests génomiques et des traitements anticancéreux
Cancer drug development continues at a rapidpace fueled largely by new scientific insight, persistent unmet medical need, and the perceived value of precision medicine as an essential strategy in cancer care. Just from 2018to the time of this writing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved more than70 new cancer drugs or indications, not including biosimilars(1). Many of theseapprovals require use of a companion biomarker test to identify the patient population most likely to benefit from the treatmentand more than 30 such tests have now been cleared or approved by FDA (2). In 2017, FDA also approved the first next generation sequencing-based test that can detect hundreds of genetic mutations in any solid tumor type. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services simultaneously approved coverage forthe test(3). While some new molecularly-targeted drugs have transformed the treatment of some cancers, particularly when used in a biomarker-selected population, many still produce only small incremental improvements in patient outcomesfueling discussion about the hype versus hope of precision medicineand calling for a reassessment of the standards of evidence requiredto demonstrate the benefit of precision cancer therapies (4).
Journal of the National Cancer Institute , éditorial, 2018