Drugs that target cancer gene mutations or rearrangements have improved outcomes for patients with many different cancers, including lung cancer, melanoma, and others . The challenge is being able to identify these genomic changes in a timely and efficient manner. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) based tumour comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) that detects a wide range of genomic aberrations is one method being utilized to match patients to relevant targeted therapies against several oncogenic drivers, particularly for lung cancer. Several in-house as well as commercial testing panels are now available that help Medical Oncologists understand the cancer genomic profile of their patients. This information helps inform whether there these patients are likely to respond to a targeted agent, either as standard of care or as part of a clinical trial.

In this Podcast, we will discuss some of the challenges that exist in being able to identify these molecular changes. The value of comprehensive genomic profiling for lung cancer patients in Australia will be discussed including the TOGA ASPiRATION study, an observational cohort study to assess the clinical impact of CGP in metastatic lung cancer patients. Professor Nick Pavlakis, TOGA Chair and Senior Staff Specialist in the Department of Medical Oncology at Royal North Shore Hospital and conjoint Professor in the Faculty of Medicine University of Sydney, is joined by Professor Stephen Fox, Head of the Molecular Pathology Laboratory, also currently Director of Pathology at Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute and Professorial Fellow in the Department of Pathology, The University of Melbourne.

https://thoraciconcology.org.au/aspiration/

Thank you to Roche for sponsoring this Podcast.