Dr. Bestvina on Challenges With Interpreting Molecular Reports in Lung Cancer

Christine Bestvina, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine, discusses challenges with interpreting molecular reports in lung cancer.

Several challenges in receiving and interpreting molecular reports exist in the lung cancer paradigm, Bestvina explains. For example, the available molecular profiling platforms present the data differently. Therefore, it may not always be clear which mutations are being tested for, how the data are recorded, and how the data are reported, Bestvina says. Additionally, it is unclear for some platforms whether targets, TKIs, and other available agents are being weighed for potential actionability in the context of identified aberrations.

Moreover, as these molecular platforms are often based outside of an institution, the information generated is not always uploaded to electronic medical records (EMRs), which makes reporting the data in EMRs challenging for the clinician receiving the data, Bestvina concludes.