An evaluation of RAS testing among metastatic colorectal cancer patients in the USA

• Published in: Future oncology (London, England) England), 2021-05, Vol.17 (13), p.1653-1663
• Main Authors: Sangaré, Laura, Delli-Zotti, Kimberly, Florea, Ana, Rehn, Marko, Benson, Al B, Lowe, Kimberly A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1479-6694; 1744-8301
• DOI: 10.2217/fon-2020-1075

Data on testing practices prior to metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) treatment initiation are lacking in the USA. Flatiron data were utilized for patients diagnosed with mCRC between 2011 and 2017. Flatiron is a longitudinal, demographically and geographically diverse database representing data from over 1.5 million active US patients treated at 255 community and hospital-affiliated oncology clinics. Among 17,387 mCRC patients 69% were tested and 31% were never tested. Timing of testing was as follows: 23% were tested at the time of their initial CRC diagnosis, 60% following mCRC diagnosis but prior to first line of treatment, 3% prior to third line, the remaining 14% were tested following third line. A third (31%) of patients failed to receive testing, therefore all treatment options were unavailable to them. These data highlight how universal testing has not been achieved.