Patient‐Initiated Nationwide Survey on Testing for Actionable Oncogenic Drivers in Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer in Japan

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Previous reports indicated still low implementation rates of multigene testing for advanced non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Japan. Methods This is a retrospective study launched at the initiative of lung cancer patients. Patients with stage IV NSCLC from January 2019 to December 2022 were investigated for testing of 8 actionable oncogenic drivers with targeted therapies available as of 2022. Results A total of 15,719 patients were included. Between 2019 and 2022, the percentage of patients who were not tested for any actionable oncogenic drivers remained the same, ranging from 21.5% to 33.1%. However, since late 2021, the percentage of patients tested for five or more actionable oncogenic drivers has increased. Across hospital categories and regions, the number of actionable oncogenic drivers tested was similar. Conclusions This patient‐initiated national survey in Japan reveals the recent nationwide increase in testing rates for actionable oncogenic drivers in Advanced NSCLC.

Keywords

• actionable oncogenic drivers
• diagnosis procedure combination
• multigene testing
• non‐small cell lung cancer
• targeted therapy