Current status of biomarker testing in historically rare, high-unmet-need tumors: soft tissue sarcomas and thyroid cancers.

Current status of biomarker testing in historically rare, high-unmet-need tumors: soft tissue sarcomas and thyroid cancers. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2019 Oct 17;: Authors: Schroader B, Kong SX, Anderson S, Williamson T, Sireci A, Shields K Abstract INTRODUCTION: The development of precision medicine and targeted therapies have revolutionized cancer treatment. Historically, treatment was chosen based on the tumor-histology, but can now be tailored to patient-specific actionable biomarkers. Investigations have shown up to 40% of cancer patients who undergo molecular testing have an actionable biomarker with a drug currently available, and that patients benefit from these drugs. In 2018, larotrectinib became the first drug developed and approved exclusively as a tumor-agnostic therapy. Because of advancement in precision medicine, biomarker testing has become a standard of care in a variety of tumors and its use is increasing. Areas covered: We discuss the landscape of biomarker testing in the context of soft tissue sarcomas and thyroid cancer, 2 rare diseases with historically high unmet needs in their subpopulations. We summarize the available historical data and contemporary applications. Expert opinion: The paradigm shift in oncology treatment toward precision medicine, including tumor-agnostic agents, is experiencing substantial momentum but still facing challenges. A gap exists between guideline recommendations for biomarker te...
Source: Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Expert Rev Anticancer Ther Source Type: research