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Analysis Finds Increase in Molecular Testing Among NSCLC, CRC Patients

A new study has found that molecular testing rates for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) has risen among Medicare recipients in the US, though the researchers note that the rates remain below recommended levels. In JAMA Network Open, the researchers led by Brigham and Women's Hospital's Nancy Keating examined molecular testing rates among 145,740 Medicare beneficiaries newly diagnosed with NSCLC or CRC between 2015 and 2019. They noted that testing rate increased between 2015 and 2019 from 74.1 percent in 2015 for NSCLC patients to 84.7 percent in 2019 and from 45.2 percent in 2015 to 64.7 percent among CRC patients. For NSCLC patients, they also found that testing rates were similar across different clinical practice types, though National Cancer Institute-designated cancers centers were more likely to use multigene panels and targeted therapies. For CRC patients, testing rates varied by clinical practice type, but targeted therapy use was similar across practice types. "The findings of this study suggest that there remains substantial underuse of molecular testing and targeted therapies, with variation by practice type and patient characteristics," the researchers write.

The Scan

ChatGPT Does As Well As Humans Answering Genetics Questions, Study Finds

Researchers in the European Journal of Human Genetics had ChatGPT answer genetics-related questions, finding it was about 68 percent accurate, but sometimes gave different answers to the same question.

Sequencing Analysis Examines Gene Regulatory Networks of Honeybee Soldier, Forager Brains

Researchers in Nature Ecology & Evolution find gene regulatory network differences between soldiers and foragers, suggesting bees can take on either role.

Analysis of Ashkenazi Jewish Cohort Uncovers New Genetic Loci Linked to Alzheimer's Disease

The study in Alzheimer's & Dementia highlighted known genes, but also novel ones with biological ties to Alzheimer's disease.

Tara Pacific Expedition Project Team Finds High Diversity Within Coral Reef Microbiome

In papers appearing in Nature Communications and elsewhere, the team reports on findings from the two-year excursion examining coral reefs.