Appraising an NTRK testing algorithm: When, what, how

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Published: 16 Sep 2019
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Professor Jean-Yves Blay and Professor Frédérique Penault-Llorca

NTRK gene fusions are targetable oncogenic mutations that occur in more than 20 tumour types. Prevalence varies from >90% in specific tumour types to <5% in more common cancers, with a total estimated prevalence of 0.5-1.0% of all cancers.

Pharmacotherapies have been developed to counteract this mutation. These TRK inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy across tumour types in phase II trials, leading to FDA indications that are tumour-agnostic – that is,  they are effective across all cancers that test positive for an NTRK gene fusion.

However, how do we identify patients who are TRK positive? Personalised medicine approaches vary greatly between countries and tumour types, necessitating an adaptable algorithm that can be applied in most settings.

This session explores a proposed NTRK testing algorithm, including a summary on NTRK fusion cancer, molecular testing approaches, and how oncologists and pathologists can unite to identify and treat TRK fusion cancer.

This independent educational activity is supported by an educational grant from Bayer Pharmaceuticals.

The educational content has been developed by Liberum IME and validated by an independent steering committee; Bayer Pharmaceuticals have had no influence on the content of this education.

To claim CME credit for this activity, please visit Oncology Knowledge into Practice.