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Molecularly Matched Therapy Promising in Pancreatic Cancer

Overall survival significantly longer for patients with actionable molecular alterations receiving matched tx

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Receipt of molecularly matched therapy is associated with improved outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer, according to a study published online March 2 in The Lancet Oncology.

Michael J. Pishvaian, M.D., from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues conducted a retrospective analysis involving 1,856 patients with pancreatic cancer who were referred to the Know Your Tumor (KYT) program between June 16, 2014, and March 31, 2019.

Of those referred to the KYT program, 58 percent of patients received personalized reports based on their molecular testing results. The researchers found that 26 percent of these samples had actionable molecular alterations. Of the 677 patients with available outcomes data, 189 had actionable molecular alterations. The patients with actionable molecular alterations who received a matched therapy had significantly longer median overall survival than patients who received unmatched therapies (46 versus 143 patients: 2.58 years versus 1.51 years; hazard ratio, 0.42). The patients who received a matched therapy also had significantly longer overall survival than those without an actionable molecular alteration (2.58 versus 1.32 years; hazard ratio, 0.34). Median overall survival did not differ for those who received unmatched therapy and those without an actionable molecular alteration.

“We are encouraged by the proof-of-concept outcome results presented here, and believe that continued efforts in this area are worthwhile and will enable more patients with pancreatic cancer to benefit from a precision medicine approach,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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