New recommendations on how to report NGS results to medical teams
The optimal management of patients with cancer is becoming more dependent on individualized treatments guided by the genomics profiling of tumors. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) plays a crucial role in this process, enabling the analysis of hundreds or even thousands of genes at a relatively low cost. SciLifeLab and KI researchers have now created expert guidelines on how to report NGS results to support the best possible decisions for patients.
NGS provides insights to help select the most appropriate therapies based on the specific molecular characteristics of each patient’s tumor, which constitutes one of the pillars of modern precision oncology. However, interpreting the results of NGS assays can be challenging for physicians. The lack of a standardized approach to preparing NGS clinical reports may limit this technology’s application and potential benefits.
To address this issue, the Precision Medicine Working Group (PMWG) of the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) has developed recommendations for presenting NGS results to support clinical decision-making in patients with solid cancers. Published in Annals of Oncology, these guidelines are based on a consensus among international experts in genomics-based oncology, including perspectives from a patient advocate.
“The complexity of NGS data used in cancer care is rapidly increasing, and effective communication of the information to the medical teams is crucial. Clear and standardized NGS reports are crucial to minimize uncertainties, reduce inequalities between centers with varying levels of experience, and optimize patient benefits from available treatment options,” says David Tamborero, a senior researcher at SciLifeLab/Karolinska Institutet and one of the senior authors of the paper.
The paper provides detailed guidance on how to structure NGS reports and the content to include in different sections. The recommendations are organized into priority levels, making them adaptable to various laboratory and clinical settings. “It was important to achieve a broad consensus on how NGS findings should be reported to clinicians,” Tamborero adds. “We believe these recommendations will be valuable for all laboratories supporting clinical practice and clinical research, helping to harmonize efforts across centers and ensuring the best decision-making for patients.”
