Biomarker testing methods in breast, gastric, and lung cancers: A benchmarking survey of NCI cancer centers.

e22093 Background: Biomarkers are an integral part of cancer care. A variety of testing methods exist, allowing institutional selection of which technologies to use and in what order to run them. This descriptive study provides a benchmark on methods used in practice for biomarker testing in breast (BC), gastric/esophageal (GC), and non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC). Methods: We conducted an IRB-approved web survey of the 58 NCI designated cancer centers (pathologists and oncologists) providing adult care in BC, GC, and NSCLC. We developed a survey instrument with 14 BC, 5 GC, and 10 NSCLC items asking about methods used, order of testing, turn around time (TAT) and if tests are internally developed (ID). Results: For BC, 32% (18/57) of sites run concurrent rather than reflex HER2 FISH and IHC testing, citing quality assurance reasons. Average TAT for concurrent vs reflex testing is 6.5 and 9.5 days. Rates of ID tests are 14% (8/57) for PgR, 12% (7/57) for ER and 7% (4/57) for HER2. For GC, 39% (21/54) ...