People are generally more positive about the perception and frequency of biomarker testing than an earlier survey conducted in 2018, but barriers remain, according to results from a recently released survey.1
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Global Survey on Biomarker Testing, which was released during IASLC’s World Conference on Lung Cancer 2024, generated 1677 responses from 90 countries and 14 medical disciplines and found a positive shift in the perception and frequency of biomarker testing.
Sixty-seven percent of respondents reported that more than half of lung cancer patients are tested in their home countries, which is a large increase from the 39% reported in 2018. Despite this progress, barriers remain prominent, with cost (27.2%), time (13.9%), and sample quality (13.8%) often cited as obstacles. Notably, 43% of respondents reported treating patients before receiving biomarker results.
The 2018 survey suggested that low adoption of biomarker testing was likely due to cost, lack of quality and standards, access, awareness, and long turnaround times. However, since 2018, numerous therapeutic advances have been made in late-stage and early-stage lung cancer, according to Matthew Smeltzer, PhD, of the University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, who was cited in a release about the survey.
Survey respondents suggested a number of methods to improve biomarker testing, including enhanced education for providers and patients, streamlined clinical processes through reflex testing, increased funding from both governmental and insurance sources, and broader policy changes. The IASLC plans to launch a series of initiatives to address these areas, targeting awareness, access, processes, and policy improvements.
The survey was available in English, French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish, and contained sections on demographics, current practices and perceptions, pathology, ordering tests or treatment, acquiring tissue, barriers to optimal testing, and potential solutions. The researchers grouped responses by IASLC global region and by high/upper-middle income countries (HUMICs) and low/middle income countries (LMICs).
Respondents from HUMICs (a search reveals the plural of this acroynm is more widely used) expressed greater healthcare system support for biomarker testing compared with those from LMICs, where only 18.6% noted similar support. The survey also revealed that a substantial proportion of testing costs is only partialy reimbursed, and turnaround times for tissue testing average 14 days with no clear consensus on the causes of delays, the researchers reported.
Reference
- IASLC. Global survey on biomarker testing reveals progress and persistent barriers in lung cancer biomarker testing. Press release. September 7, 2024. Accessed September 24, 2024. https://www.iaslc.org/iaslc-news/press-release/iaslc-global-survey-biomarker-testing-reveals-progress-and-persistent
