STAT+: Many cancer patients don’t get genomic tests to guide treatment, study finds
Why it matters: Many cancer patients miss out on potentially life-extending targeted therapies due to lack of genomic testing.
- A new study published in JAMA Network Open found that roughly half of patients with five different metastatic cancers did not receive genetic sequencing.
- Patients with low income, Medicare or Medicaid coverage, and Black or Hispanic race or ethnicity were less likely to receive genomic sequencing, indicating disparities in access.
- Advances in cancer medicine and technology, including targeted therapies, have contributed to a 70% overall five-year survival rate by 2026 and a doubling of the metastatic cancer survival rate since the 1960s.
A new study reveals that a significant number of patients with advanced cancers are not receiving genomic testing, a crucial step for guiding treatment with targeted therapies. This disparity disproportionately affects patients with lower incomes, those on Medicare or Medicaid, and individuals of Black or Hispanic descent, highlighting inequities in access to advanced cancer care.
