Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK, after breast and prostate cancer, and is responsible for over 35,000 deaths per year. Over the past decade, huge strides have been made in terms of survival and because of the burden of this disease the need for improved diagnostics and access to therapies is greater than ever to optimise the quality of life for lung cancer patients.
In January 2019, Roche Diagnostics held a symposium on Excellence in Lung Cancer Diagnosis: Impact on the Patient Pathway. It brought together a team of pathologists among other specialists to share their knowledge and best practices in lung cancer diagnostics, from initial diagnosis to PD-L1, ALK and EGFR testing, to deliver their own vision, guidance and experience in this field. It was also an opportunity to introduce the role of the Genomic Laboratory Hubs and sequencing technologies, alongside histopathology, in precision medicine.
It is the companion diagnostic assays that influence the patient pathway and guide decisions on the therapy a patient receives. This event included talks from oncologists who help patients afflicted with lung cancer receive the latest therapies available. These therapies range from small-molecule inhibitors to the new world of immune oncology treatments that harness the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.