“We’re increasingly using genomic data from day-to-day in our clinics to guide therapies,” he said, reiterating that tests such as this provide a useful alternative to tissue-based testing, particularly for the many patients in clinics who have tumors that are challenging to access, such as tumors on bone or near the brain.
“The authors have demonstrated not only the feasibility of the test in detecting alterations, but that the results are often potentially actionable as well ... As oncologists obtain this assay, it’s important to keep in mind trials such as the ASCO-led TAPUR study. TAPUR can potentially link patients with selected genomic alterations to relevant therapies that would otherwise be challenging to access,” he said.
Dr. Pal also noted that there are several other blood-based genomic tests emerging, and it will be important to “rigorously define which of these platforms deliver optimal results.”
Going forward, Dr. Mack and his colleagues will be working to increase the sensitivity of the Gaurdant360 assay to detect mutations at extremely low ctDNA level, as some tumors – glioblastomas, for example – diminish the ability to detect ctDNA. Improved sensitivity could also enable the use of the assay in earlier-stage cancers, he said.
This study was supported by funding from Guardant Health.