For more than a decade, we have been listening to the leaders in cancer research tell us that in order for targeted therapy to work, we must be able to identify who will benefit from it through the use of predictive biomarkers. This is the essence of personalized medicine.
Molecular testing (MT) is becoming the new paradigm for determining an individual cancer patient’s course of treatment. Although it is fairly widespread in large academic cancer centers, community hospitals and cancer clinics, where most cancer patients are treated, are often completely out of the loop.
Recently the Association of Community Cancer Centers has sought to better understand the scope of this problem through a survey of its members (1). This survey polled the member institutions’ administrators, oncologists, pathologists nurses, and pharmacists (N=52 institutions) about policy, practices, and proceedure related to MT as well as reimbursement issues.
Implementing Molecular Testing: Education of Stakeholders is Key
There are many challenges to the implimentation of MT in the community oncology setting(1). Chief among them is unwillingness of various stakeholders to work together to make MT a routine proceedure for all newly diagnosed cancer patients. The reality is that testing is already being done on a very limited basis for breast cancer patients (HER2, and ER/PR), but the cancer centers appear to balk at the expansion of similar testing in other cancer indications.(2)
It also represents a great new opportunity to improve the coordination between pathologists and oncologists.
In order to implement MT, The ACCC survey indicated that there should be “champions” that drive the institution toward a coordinated testing program. Most often these champions come from the ranks of the oncologists. They must educate their peers and the institution’s administration about the necessity for having a MT policy/proceedure to decide how and when specific tests will be implemented.
Will Oncology & Pathology Come Together Over MT?
The lack of collaboration between pathologists and oncologists is one of the things that’s holding molecular testing programs back. Many physicians can’t seem to agree on whether MT is necessary, and when. Some don’t see the value in personalized medicine, while cancer center administrators see it as simply a line in the budget and are unwilling to spend the time and money in an environment of competing interests.
However, there is safety in numbers. By uniting on the molecular testing issue, oncologists and pathologists will have a greater chance of convincing administrators its necessity.
Is Molecular Testing Costly or Cost Effective?
One of the drawbacks to molecular testing programs is the cost of testing. The decision for doing MT may lie with the payer, rather than the patient’s specific needs. Each assay can run as much as $7,000, which can make insurance companies unwilling to cover the cost in many cases.
However, most oncologists and pathologists agree that molecular testing can actually save money in the long run. The detailed, personal information that it provides can guide an otherwise uncertain treatment plan. A negative test result can save a lot of money on expensive, targeted therapies.
In order for progress to take place, continuing education is essential. This is true of both the medical oncologists and the pathologists. In the rapidly evolving world of cancer drug development, new molecular tests will emerge on a regular basis which will help choose new options for treatment where there were none before. Pathologists and oncologists must work together to use the test results to guide treatment by identifying who will benefit from specific targeted therapy regimens.