Thyroid cancer: testing for biomarkers

Oncology Knowledge into Practice Podcast

Rearranged during transfection (RET) and tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) fusions are involved in various adult and paediatric cancers, including thyroid cancers. There is a high mortality rate for some of these cancers, partly due to the lack of efficient detection, diagnosis, and prognosis.

The US and European guidelines recommend genomic testing as a part of standard diagnostic evaluations for some cancers to identify driver mutations for which effective therapies or clinical trials are available. However, adherence to genomic testing guidelines presents challenges to practitioners, including coordination of sample handling, long turnaround times, test reimbursement (in applicable settings), access to targeted therapies, insufficient tissue, and patient harm from the repeat biopsies necessary if the tissue sample is insufficient.

This episode offers some guidance around when and how to test for biomarkers of response to precision medicines. To answer our questions on the topic, we welcome the expertise of Professor Fernando López-Ríos. Professor López-Ríos is a pathologist at the ‘12 de Octubre’ University Hospital in Spain.

Funding Information:

This episode is supported by an educational grant from Eli Lilly, who have had no influence on the content or choice of faculty.

References

1. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. Thyroid Carcinoma. (Version 3.2021-October 15, 2021). Available at: https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/thyroid.pdf. Accessed January 16, 2022.

2. Belli C, et al. ESMO recommendations on the standard methods to detect RET fusions and mutations in daily practice and clinical research. Ann Oncol. 2021 Mar;32(3):337-350.

3. Marchiò C, et al. ESMO recommendations on the standard methods to detect NTRK fusions in daily practice and clinical research. Ann Oncol. 2019 Sep 1;30(9):1417-1427.

4. OncoKB: MSK's Precision Oncology Knowledge Base. Available at: https://www.oncokb.org/. Accessed March 15, 2022.

5. Mosele F, et al. Recommendations for the use of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for patients with metastatic cancers: a report from the ESMO Precision Medicine Working Group. Ann Oncol. 2020 Nov;31(11):1491-1505.