The rapid progress made over the last decade in bringing comprehensive genomic profiling to rare cancer patients has created the opportunity to significantly expand the treatment options available to them. However, many physicians, especially in the community setting, have not had the opportunity or training to effectively interpret and relay the results of comprehensive genomic profiling for their patients.
One of TRACK’s distinctive features, its Virtual Molecular Tumor Board (VMTB), becomes especially relevant in this scenario. TRACK’s VMTB is comprised of a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians and scientists focused on rare cancers. In addition to their specialties, these doctors also have expertise in the field of genomics and precision medicine, specifically in next generation sequencing, which TRACK utilizes.
However, these experts do not have the extensive personal knowledge of the enrolled patients that their treating physician has. This is why the integration of a patient’s physician into the VMTB meetings is a key component of TRACK. The treating physician is able to provide important practical insight on a patient’s medical history – such as an underlying health condition, an aversion to certain medication, or a personal barrier that would preclude them from participating in a specific clinical trial. When attending a VMTB meeting, the treating physician is also able to ask specific questions about the comprehensive genomic profiling results as well as the advantages and challenges of therapies that are being recommended or avoided. This dialogue is key to providing the best recommendations possible for the patient.
Click here to watch a short clip of TRACK Lead Principal Investigator Razelle Kurzrock, MD discuss this topic in further detail.