scholarly journals Genomic Profiling Reveals Medullary Thyroid Cancer Misdiagnosed as Lung Cancer

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 399-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva J. Gordon ◽  
David Parker ◽  
Kelly Barth ◽  
Jennifer Pena ◽  
Julia A. Elvin ◽  
...  

Mutations or other alterations in the RET gene have been implicated in a variety of malignancies – most commonly thyroid, but also chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, and lung, breast, pancreatic, and colon cancers. Here we present a case of a gentlemen initially diagnosed with and treated for non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma. Genomic profiling of his tumor specimen revealed a RET point mutation with a known association with medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). Further pathological and molecular diagnostic evaluation confirmed a diagnosis of MTC, leading to a change in treatment from standard chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer to targeted therapy against RET and potential implications regarding inherited cancer risk for his offspring. The patient experienced a clinical response to treatment and several months of improved quality of life. This case illustrates the capacity of genomic profiling to uncover molecular drivers of disease and help ensure proper diagnosis and management of cancer.

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 351-357
Author(s):  
Vina Pulido ◽  
Shin Yin Lee ◽  
Naomi Yu Ko

In the era of precision medicine and targeted therapy, diagnostic inaccuracy can have tremendous ramifications. We present the case of a 61-year-old man initially diagnosed with small cell lung cancer by pathology. Prior to initiating chemotherapy, multidisciplinary discussions led to an amendment of the diagnosis to medullary thyroid cancer.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1611-1624
Author(s):  
Michael J. Harvey ◽  
Rachel Cunningham ◽  
Bethany Sawchyn ◽  
Meagan Montesion ◽  
Prasanth Reddy ◽  
...  

PURPOSE This study assessed the economic impact of increased use of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) versus conventional testing strategies among patients with advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (aNSCLC) from a US commercial health plan perspective. METHODS A decision analytic model was developed to estimate the incremental benefits and costs across testing methodologies (CGP v non-CGP), as well as across sample types (tissue-based and liquid-based), for patients with newly diagnosed aNSCLC. Model outcomes included total direct costs, testing costs, and per member per month budget impact. Secondary model outcomes included the number of patients needed to test with CGP to add 1 life-year, and the number of patients needed to test with CGP to treat one individual with a biomarker-matched therapy. RESULTS In a hypothetical 2,000,000-member health plan, 790 members were estimated to have incident aNSCLC; 609 underwent molecular diagnostic testing with 122 (20%) tested with CGP (109 tissue-based and 13 liquid) in the base-case. An increase in CGP from 20% to 30% (an additional 61 patients tested with CGP) was associated with 3.11 additional life-years gained and a $0.01 in US dollars per member per month budget impact. Approximately 19.6 patients would need to be tested with CGP versus non-CGP to add one life-year and 5.9 patients would need to be tested with CGP to treat at least one patient with a biomarker-matched therapy. CONCLUSION An increase in CGP from 20% to 30% among patients with aNSCLC undergoing molecular diagnostic testing was associated with modest budget impact, most of which was attributable to prolonged survival associated with increased use of more effective treatments.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2265
Author(s):  
Elio Gregory Pizzutilo ◽  
Martino Pedrani ◽  
Alessio Amatu ◽  
Lorenzo Ruggieri ◽  
Calogero Lauricella ◽  
...  

Background: The potential added value of liquid biopsy (LB) is not well determined in the case of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), an aggressive tumor that can occur either de novo or from the histologic transformation of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: A systematic review of studies adopting LB in patients with SCLC have been performed to assess the clinical utility of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) or circulating tumor cells (CTCs). Results: After a screening of 728 records, 62 studies (32 evaluating CTCs, 27 ctDNA, and 3 both) met predetermined eligibility criteria. Only four studies evaluated LB in the diagnostic setting for SCLC, while its prognostic significance was evaluated in 38 studies and prominently supported by both ctDNA and CTCs. A meta-analysis of 11 studies as for CTCs enumeration showed an HR for overall survival of 2.63 (1.71–4.05), with a potential publication bias. The feasibility of tumor genomic profiling and the predictive role of LB in terms of response/resistance to chemotherapy was assessed in 11 and 24 studies, respectively, with greater consistency for those regarding ctDNA. Intriguingly, several case reports suggest that LB can indirectly capture the transition to SCLC in NSCLC treated with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Conclusions: While dedicated trials are needed, LB holds potential clinical roles in both de novo and transformed SCLC. CtDNA analysis appears the most valuable and practicable tool for both disease monitoring and genomic profiling.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 609
Author(s):  
Caterina Fumagalli ◽  
Elena Guerini-Rocco ◽  
Massimo Barberis

Personalized cancer therapy matches the plan of treatment with specific molecular alterations [...]


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (28_suppl) ◽  
pp. 59-59
Author(s):  
Woojung Lee ◽  
Scott Spencer ◽  
Josh John Carlson ◽  
Tam Dinh ◽  
Victoria Dayer ◽  
...  

59 Background: The use of comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) in cancer patients could lead to additional enrollment in clinical trials that study novel genetic biomarkers, potentially reducing treatment costs for payers and improving health outcomes for patients. Our objective was to estimate the number of additional clinical trials in which patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) could potentially enroll due to the use of CGP vs. a comparator panel of 50 genes or less. Methods: Clinical trials in NSCLC that started between 2015 - 2020 were identified from the Aggregate Analysis of ClinicalTrials.gov (AACT) database. Trials with unknown status or study sites outside the United States only were excluded. We abstracted information on required genetic alterations based on the study eligibility criteria. We calculated the incremental number of trials available to patients due to results generated by CGP (FoundationOne CDx, 324 genes) vs. a commercially available comparator panel that was 50 genes or less (Oncomine Dx Target Test, 23 genes) by phase and calendar year. The additional trials were characterized by disease severity, type of therapy, and setting. Results: Enrollment eligibility was dependent on genetic variant status in 35% (250/709) of all identified NSCLC trials. There were 29 (248 vs. 219) additional clinical trials available to patients through the use of CGP, 12% of all gene-specific trials for NSCLC. We identified 45 uses of genetic markers in the 29 additional clinical trials. The most frequent genetic marker in the incremental trials was microsatellite instability, accounting for 44% of all identified markers (20/45). The incremental number of trials available to patients due to the use of CGP did not vary significantly over time but varied by phase – most of the additional clinical trials were in phase 1 or 2 (28/29, 97%). Most of the incremental trials were in metastatic disease (22/29, 76%) and were conducted in academic or advanced community settings (18/29, 62%). The most frequently studied type of intervention in these studies was targeted monotherapy (8/29, 28%), followed by immuno-monotherapy (7/29, 24%). Conclusions: Clinical trials in NSCLC initiated over the past 5 years have consistently included CGP-specific genes or markers in eligibility criteria. Patients with NSCLC have the potential to benefit from the use of CGP as compared to smaller gene panels through improved access to clinical trials.[Table: see text]


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