Dr Paz-Ares on the Challenges of NGS in NSCLC

Luis G. Paz-Ares, MD, PhD, chair, the Medical Oncology Department, the Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, associate professor, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, head, the Lung Cancer Unit, the National Oncology Research Center, discusses the importance of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and highlights current challenges with NGS for patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

NGS is used to detect if patients with NSCLC have specific molecular abnormalities that require a specific treatment, Paz-Ares begins. Previously, multiple genomic tests would be used to detect individual abnormalities; however, the ideal approach in the current treatment space it to complete a complex genomic test that detect a wide range of abnormalities, Paz-Ares explains. Using comprehensive NGS is more cost effective, faster, and requires less tissue from the patient, he adds. 

Although NGS has improved genomic testing for patients with NSCLC, current methods still have challenges, Paz-Ares says. Access to NGS technology remains an unmet need in some areas. In order to conduct NGS, institutions need to have the infrastructure to complete the tests, or NGS needs to be outsourced to another lab, Paz-Ares adds.

Along with completing NGS, being able to interpret the results and translate them into treatment decisions is crucial, Paz-Ares continues. A tumor molecular board consisting of a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including oncologists, molecular biologists, geneticists, and pathologists, is essential to interpret each test accurately, Paz-Ares adds. Results from NGS are not always clear, and a deeper investigation into the findings and how they relate to optimal treatment patterns could help inform a decision for a given patient, Paz-Ares concludes.