"This is the first such study to address turnaround time for when the oncologist receives clinically actionable results from the lab," says lead author Gregory J. Tsongalis, PhD, of Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center. "Getting results to our oncologists in a timely fashion allows them to be better prepared in the selection of a therapeutic management strategy."
Results of the study, "Comparison of Tissue Molecular Biomarker Testing Turnaround Times and Concordance Between Standard of Care and the Biocartis Idylla Platform in Patients With Colorectal Cancer," are newly published online in the
American Journal of Clinical Pathology.
Also significant in this study is the participation of 20 laboratories of different types and sizes--not just larger academic center labs--throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, with an accrual of almost 800 colorectal cancer tissue samples to measure. In collecting the data, the study also addressed the use of minimal tissue from the patient sample. "One of the study sites included several 1-mm tissue biopsy samples, showing that even smaller tissue-based specimens can be successfully analyzed by Idylla," notes Tsongalis. "Our results are in line with findings of other studies showing successful analyses using very small tissue amounts, including those deemed too small for standard molecular testing methods."
Next steps include looking at strategies to integrate the new platform into regular laboratory processes. "We already use something similar for our melanoma patients," notes Tsongalis.
As the majority of care of cancer patients in the United States is provided in smaller medical facilities, this user-friendly system would allow those institutions to offer the most clinically actionable testing at their own hospitals with minimal hands-on time for testing and rapid result reporting.
Source: Eurekalert
