# Impact of molecular diagnostics and targeted cancer therapy on patient outcomes (MODIFY): a retrospective study of the implementation of precision oncology

## TL;DR

This study shows that molecular profiling and targeted therapy can improve outcomes for patients with advanced cancer.

## Contribution

The study provides evidence from Luxembourg on the clinical benefit of implementing precision oncology practices.

## Key findings

- 45 out of 94 patients had actionable mutations identified through NGS.
- 62.5% of patients with available data showed a PFS2/PFS1 ratio ≥ 1.3.
- Median overall survival was 7.3 months for patients receiving targeted therapy.

## Abstract

High‐throughput genomic analyses are being implemented in clinical practice. MODIFY is a retrospective study of the first introduction of genomic profiling and molecular tumor boards in the country of Luxembourg. The primary objective was to assess whether patients derived a clinical benefit by measuring the percentage of patients who presented a progression‐free survival (PFS) on matched therapy (PFS2) 1.3‐fold longer than PFS on previous therapy (PFS1). A total of 94 patients were included. In total, 45 patients (53.57% of patients with successful next‐generation sequencing [NGS] analysis) were found to have an actionable mutation. Of these, 11 patients received the treatment recommended by the molecular tumor board, another 12 received best‐supportive care, and 20 were treated with conventional therapy. PFS2 and PFS1 data were available for eight patients. The PFS2/PFS1 ratio was ≥ −1.3 in 62.5% (n = 5/8; CI [30.38, 86.51]) of patients; three patients showed a partial response, and median overall survival (OS) was 7.3 months. Although the examined population was small, this study further supports evidence indicating that patients with advanced cancer benefit from molecular profiling and targeted therapy.

The authors conducted a retrospective study of 94 patients with advanced cancer who underwent next‐generation sequencing (NGS) gene panel analysis and received targeted treatments when applicable. Results further support evidence indicating that molecular profiling provides clinical benefit.