Inequities in Biomarker Testing for Lung Cancer in a Low Resource Setting
Main Article Content
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4800-4724
Andrew Yaw Nyantakyi
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0742-6007
Charles Domotey
Abstract
Introduction: Despite the novel advances in molecular biology which has revolutionized treatment of Non-Small Cell Lung cancers, biomarker testing remains limited in low resource settings including Ghana making the adoption of personalized treatment pathways difficult.
Methodology: This was a retrospective review of histology-confirmed lung cancer cases from January 2019 to December 2023. Data extracted from patients’ medical records were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Aim: To describe the proportion and pattern of biomarker testing requested by clinicians involved in diagnosing and managing lung cancer patients
Results: A total of 158 medical records cases were retrieved of which male and female proportions were 89(56.3%) and 69(43.7%) respectively. Non-small cell lung cancer constituted 127 (80.4%) all cases. Out of the total number of non-small cell lung cancer cases, 117(92.1%) had adenocarcinoma, 9(7.1%) had squamous cell carcinoma and 1(0.8%) had Adenosquamous carcinoma. Only 22 (17%) of the non-small cell lung cancer cases had biomarker analysis. A total of 49 biomarker reports were retrieved from the 22 patients and the variety as well as the proportions of the assays were as follows; Programmed Death-Ligand-1(PDL1) were 13/49(26.5%), Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) were 12/49(24.5%), Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) were 12/49(24.5%), Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) and ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) were 6 each representing 1.2% of all cases. The results show that 11/22(50%) of these patients had two different biomarker reports whiles only 1 patient had all 5 biomarker test reports.
Discussion: The findings of this study reflect a low level of biomarker profiling of Non-Small Cell Lung cancer cases among our cohort of patients. This certainly has significant implications on lung cancer management and prognosis in our environment.
Conclusion: There is an urgent need to address the gaps in biomarker profiling of non-small cell lung cancers diagnosed in our setting. This may be achieved through continuous medical education of treating clinicians, improved molecular testing capacity and advocating for governmental support policies.
Article Details
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