Time and Effort Required for Tissue Acquisition and Submission in Lung Cancer Clinical Trials

Sandra Garcia, Jessica M. Saltarski, Jingsheng Yan, Xian Jin Xie, David E. Gerber

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

We analyzed data from 129 patients enrolled onto 19 lung cancer trials with mandatory or optional tumor tissue submission to determine the impact of these requirements on treatment timelines and staff effort. On average, tissue requirements delayed treatment initiation 21 days and required 3 staff communications. Improved systems to expedite these processes and use of non–tissue-based biomarkers may address these issues. Background Increasingly, analysis of tumor tissue samples for predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers is incorporated into lung cancer clinical trials. We determined the time and effort required for tissue acquisition and submission. Patients and Methods We analyzed data from patients enrolled from 2009 to 2016 at UT Southwestern onto lung cancer trials with mandatory or optional submission of tumor tissue. We collected dates of treatment-related events and staff communications; nature of tissue requirement and biomarker analysis; and location of archival tissue. Associations between case characteristics, clinical intervals, and number of staff communications were analyzed by Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon 2-sample test, and Kruskal-Wallis test. Results We identified 129 patients enrolled onto 19 clinical trials, of whom 108 (84%) ultimately received study therapy. For cases in which tissue submission was required if available or optional, 16% and 0%, respectively, had tissue sent. The median interval between consent and treatment was 28 (interquartile range, 11-43) days if tissue was requested and 7 (interquartile range, 6-13) days if tissue was not requested (P <.001). Among cases with requested tissue, the median number of related research staff communications was 3 (range, 0-10). Over time, the number of staff communications increased (P <.001). Location of archival tissue was not associated with number of staff communications or treatment intervals. Conclusion Lung cancer clinical trial requirements for tissue acquisition and submission affect the time to treatment initiation and require increasing staff effort. Improved systems to expedite these processes, as well as use of blood- or imaging-based biomarkers, may help address these issues.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)626-630
Number of pages5
JournalClinical lung cancer
Volume18
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2017

Keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Biospecimens
  • Clinical research
  • Delay
  • Personalized medicine
  • Targeted therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
  • Cancer Research

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