My Treatment Approach: NSCLC Testing and Management of Complex Cases - Episode 4
NSCLC Case Study 1: Essential Molecular Testing for New Lung Cancer Diagnosis
The oncologists delve into the specifics of which non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to test. They recommend testing all non-squamous cases and, increasingly, squamous cases as well, especially those with a light smoking history, to ensure no actionable biomarker is missed.
The experts detail the essential biomarker testing for a confirmed adenocarcinoma diagnosis. The immediate priority is testing for EGFR mutations and ALK fusions, as these are highly actionable biomarkers with approved targeted therapy options in both the adjuvant (post-surgery) and metastatic settings.
The experts strongly advocates for using comprehensive genomic profiling (Next-Generation Sequencing or NGS) over single-gene tests. This is especially critical for this patient, who presents with stage III disease. Given the high risk of recurrence and progression to stage IV NSCLC, having a full molecular profile upfront is invaluable. This NGS testing provides a complete dataset that can immediately guide treatment decisions if the disease recurs, ensuring no time is lost in identifying the best personalized therapy options at that critical juncture.