Timothy F. Burns, MD, PhD

Timothy F. Burns, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, discusses the necessary role of next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. In order to incorporate this into clinical practice, there is still a lot more work to be done, Burns says. Around 20% to 25% of patients with adenocarcinoma have targetable alterations.

The University of Pittsburgh is a large referral center, so they see a lot of patients getting NGS, Burns says. However, many patients with adenocarcinoma will have limited panels performed and so they may not be tested for all necessary mutations or translocations that could help determine the best treatment.

Burns says that even panels that are sent to Foundation Medicine to be tested may not cover enough. RNA sequencing data are important for detecting fusions as well, Burns adds. He warns that if an oncologist&rsquo;s institution does not have the capability to conduct fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) testing, or use other technologies, many translocations and alterations could be missed.

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Timothy F. Burns, MD, PhD, discusses the necessary role of next-generation sequencing testing in patients with lung adenocarcinoma. In order to incorporate this into clinical practice, there is still a lot more work to be done, Burns says. Around 20% to 25% of patients with adenocarcinoma have targetable alterations.

NGS Testing Necessary for Treatment of Lung Adenocarcinoma

Timothy F. Burns, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, discusses the value of conducting next-generation sequencing (NGS) in-house for patients with lung cancer compared with sending out to an external laboratory for molecular profiling results. Burns says he conducts NGS testing on all patients with metastatic and nonsquamous lung cancers. This includes patients that are both smokers and non-smokers.

Receiving results from NGS panels earlier has become increasingly important as more data emerges for targeted agents. Burns says physicians used to start patients on therapy before getting the results. However, now that immunotherapy is being incorporated into the frontline setting, starting patients on therapy prior to understanding the molecular profile can be detrimental in select patient subgroups, such as those harboring an EGFR or ALK translocation who may benefit more from initial treatment with a targeted therapy.

Timothy F. Burns, MD, PhD, discusses the value of conducting next-generation sequencing in-house for patients with lung cancer compared with sending out to an external laboratory for molecular profiling results. Burns says he conducts NGS testing on all patients with metastatic and nonsquamous lung cancers. This includes patients that are both smokers and non-smokers.

Timothy F. Burns, MD, PhD | Authors

Articles

NGS Testing Necessary for Treatment of Lung Adenocarcinoma

In-House Molecular Profiling Becomes Increasingly Important for Lung Cancers