A retrospective three-year analysis using real-world data on uptake of broad-based NextGen sequencing panels in community oncology practices.

Abstract

e13668 Background: There are over 100 FDA approved targeted therapies across 15 cancer types, offering improved outcomes over existing therapies. However, many of these require genetic testing, for example, advanced non-small cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) patients have over 15 targeted therapies requiring a DNA-based test. Doing multiple tests can exhaust sample, while increasing cost and turn-around time. NGS panels, often with hundreds of genes, can address some of these issues. Here we asked across aNSCLC patients if the use of NGS panels has increased over the last 3 years in community oncology practices. Methods: The Integra Connect database, which includes electronic medical record (EMR) and claims data on over 1,000,000 US cancer patients, was queried across five community oncology practices to identify aNSCLC patients (stage IIIB or IV) treated between January 2017 and January 2020. Manual chart review abstracted tumor type, stage, treatment, and testing. Patients tested for all 7 NCCN recommended genes (EGFR, ALK, ROS1, BRAF, MET, RET, ERBB2) were grouped as “NGS Panel”, patients with less genes as “Single Gene/Small Panel”, and patients with no evidence of testing as “No Test”. A Chi-Square test was used to compare actionable results between patients with NGS panels versus small panels. Results: 1,007 aNSCLC patients were analyzed and showed a doubling of the use of broad-based NGS testing from 13% in 2017 to 26% in 2019 across over 100 oncologists (table). 23% of patients had actionable results when tested on broad-based panels versus 17% using single gene or small panels (p = .048). Targeted therapies were used in 17% of broad-based tested patients, versus 15% in patients tested for single genes or small panels. Conclusions: We see an uptake of broad-based NGS testing in community oncology, which can lead to more actionable results and better utilization of targeted therapies for those patients. However, this seems to be caused by providers shifting from small panels to large panels, rather than an overall increase in testing, as we do not see the percentage of untested patients decrease. [Table: see text]