Dr. Halmos on the Importance of Identifying Biomarkers in Advanced NSCLC

Balazs Halmos, MD, MS, director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program and director of the Section of Thoracic Medical Oncology for Montefiore Health Systems; first director of Clinical Cancer Genetics and professor of clinical medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the importance of identifying biomarkers in advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In patients with advanced NSCLC, biomarker testing should be a routine practice, says Halmos. Moreover, it is important to perform broad panel testing rather than test for a few select genetic alternations, Halmos adds.

There are currently 8 markers that patients should be tested as there are targeted therapies that are available for patients who test positive, Halmos says. These include EGFR, ALK, ROS, RET, BRAF, MET, ERBB2, and NTRK.

KRAS is an emerging marker for which investigational targeted therapy directed at KRAS G12C has demonstrated clinical activity, Halmos explains. Identifying actionable biomarkers in NSCLC may inform treatment selection in patients or indicate clinical trials for which the patient may be eligible for, Halmos concludes.