The Clinical Utility of Genomic Testing in Cancer Care

Conference Correspondent

When defining clinical utility of genomic testing in cancer, the full scope of benefits needs to be identified so that decision-makers can apply it in healthcare policy and clinical practice. In the November 24 session of the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care (AVBCC) 10th Annual Summit, Daryl Pritchard, PhD, Senior Vice President of Science Policy at Personalized Medicine Coalition, moderated a panel discussion on defining clinical utility for genomic testing and recommendations to ensure appropriate implementation in cancer care.

Casey O’Neill, Principal of Oncology Marketing at Genentech, discussed how patient identification for therapies has evolved over time. Scientific advancement in cancer is moving at a rapid pace, and testing can now identify which patients are most likely to benefit—or not benefit—from a therapy based on their biological makeup. This can lead to better patient experiences, improved health outcomes, and reductions in overall healthcare cost.

Jamie Holloway, PhD, Senior Director and Molecular Science Liaison at Caris Life Sciences, said that when evaluating the clinical utility of a diagnostic test, she asks herself, “Do the results matter, are they worth it, and are they going to change the way we treat a patient?”

Jordi Rodon, MD, PhD, Associate Professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center, provided the physician perspective. He said that when ordering tests, the intent of the physician is to look for something that is important for patient care. If the patient is not a good fit for a certain therapy, then these tests have collateral benefits, including companion diagnostics.

According to Rachel Cunningham, PharmD, Director of Payer Policy and Health Outcomes at Foundation Medicine, although testing does not have clinical utilities or improve outcomes, it does allow the healthcare team to discover other treatment options, which emphasizes the importance of a common definition for utility in testing.

You can still register for the AVBCC Summit! With more than 40 webcasts and other sessions, the 10-week agenda is packed with timely insights and no-holds-barred debates that you need to understand today’s cancer care ecosystem and trends for the future.

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