Experts call for changes to lung cancer testing for Asian patients

ROUTINE biomarker testing for all non-small cell lung cancer patients in Asia may help to improve diagnosis, experts said.

A new expert consensus published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology reported that diagnosis and treatment of the most common form of lung cancer in Vietnam and other Asian countries require urgent change to better account for patient characteristics that are unique to the region.

It also reported that about 60% of the world’s lung cancer cases occur in Asia, with over 26,200 cases diagnosed and almost 23,800 deaths in Vietnam alone in 2020.

Currently, lung cancer is the second leading type of cancer in Vietnam and the number two cause of death. However, current diagnosis and treatment in Asia are modelled on those from the United States and Europe, where patient and disease characteristics differ.

For instance, one particular gene, called the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), is mutated at a higher rate in Asia, in over 50% of non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Dang Huy Quoc Thinh, vice-director at HCM City Oncology Hospital, said: “By estimation, the aggregate five-year lung cancer survival rate in Vietnam is less than 15%.

“As we work towards eliminating lung cancer as a cause of death, routine biomarker testing is a must not only in later stages of cancer, but also in early stages as it helps healthcare providers understand patients’ characteristics.”

But approximately two-thirds of healthcare professionals surveyed in the region state that less than half of their lung cancer patients undergo testing for biomarkers, according to the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. — Vietnam News/ANN