In the Southwest Netherlands region, a pilot has been launched under the name ‘IMAGO’ for patients with non-small cell, non-squamous lung carcinoma. In the project, tumor tissue from these patients will be completely genetically analyzed in one go at the Erasmus MC Cancer Institute and discussed in the Molecular Tumor Board.
Researchers in the United States have been investigating non-small cell, non-squamous lung cancer. This shows that patients do better when their lung tumor tissue is analyzed according to the new approach. “They live longer because this method identifies all possible gene mutations. As a result, the right treatment can be started earlier,” explain pathologist Jan von der Thüsen and pulmonologists Anne-Marie Dingemans and Cor van der Leest. The IMAGO project should show whether the approach also works in the Netherlands.
With next generation sequencing, the tumor material is used optimally. It is then important that the results of such an analysis are interpreted correctly. This is done in a special working group: the Molecular Tumor Board (MTB). The MTB specialists not only determine which mutations are present in the tumor tissue, they also have an overview of studies into experimental drugs that are being conducted in the Netherlands and abroad. Dingemans and Van der Leest: “When discussing the results, we therefore also look at whether there are studies that may be suitable for the patient.”
Pulmonologists, pathologists and clinical molecular biologists in pathology at Erasmus MC and Amphia Hospital are working closely with health insurers in this pilot project.
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