Next-Generation Sequencing Appears Cost-Effective for Metastatic Lung Cancer MDx in Spanish Setting

Spanish researchers reporting in JCO Precision Oncology present findings from a study comparing the cost-effectiveness of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-gene tests when searching for molecular diagnostic clues to metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). When the team modeled outcomes for more than 9,700 advanced NSCLC cases, for example, it estimated that NGS-based strategies would uncover some 1,873 alterations missed by single-gene tests and identify dozens of NSCLC patients who might benefit from clinical trial enrollment. When they looked at the longer-term consequences and cost effectiveness of the approaches, meanwhile, the authors estimated that NGS would contribute to nearly 1,200 more quality-adjusted life years (QALY) than the single-gene testing strategy, coming in "below the standard cost-effectiveness thresholds" in their QALY-informed calculations. "A two-round consensus panel was performed to describe clinical practice of Spanish reference centers, providing data on testing rate, prevalence of alterations, turnaround times, and treatment pathways," the authors explain, noting that "our analysis strengthens the results shown in the pilot conducted in a south Spanish single center and shows how, from the perspective of reference centers, NGS would be a cost-effective strategy in the molecular diagnosis of patients with NSCLC over [single-gene tests]."