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MEDTECH How can the systemic disparities in next-generation sequencing testing for lung cancer be addressed to provide equitable care for all racial and ethnic groups?
Breast Medical Oncologist, Dr. Gregory Vidal, recently conducted a comprehensive study analyzing the racial disparities prevalent in next-generation sequencing testing (NGS) for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This illuminating research piece unfolds the layers of inequities that span across practices and even extend to the physicians’ levels.
Key Points:
- The study, discussed at the ASCO 2023 Annual Meeting, investigates the racial disparities in NGS testing among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer in a community setting.
- The study is retrospective, considering over 70,000 patients, of whom approximately 14,000 were included in the final analysis.
- The primary patient demographic breakdown consisted of around 9,000 non-Latinx White patients, 1,500 non-Latinx Black patients, and slightly more than 500 Latinx patients.
- The study found an approximately 8% difference in NGS testing rates between White patients and Latinx or Black patients.
Additional Points:
- Inequities were seen both within and across different practices, suggesting that the problem is systemic.
- A surprising revelation was that patients of color tended to visit physicians or practices that generally conducted fewer tests.
Conclusion:
- The study illuminates areas to address for potential solutions to this problem, such as focusing on physicians who test less frequently and better educating practices that do not conduct as many tests.
- Further research is necessary to delve deeper into the factors causing these disparities, including socioeconomic status, insurance status, and geographical location.
Further Reading
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“We definitely saw that there was a disparity, about an 8% difference between in terms of testing for patients who are White versus Latinx or Black.”
Gregory Vidal, MD, PhD, Breast Medical Oncologist, West Cancer Center, Germantown, TN
