# Utility and real-world clinical outcomes of next-generation sequencing in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer in the South Indian population

## TL;DR

Next-generation sequencing improves survival in advanced lung cancer patients by enabling targeted treatments.

## Contribution

Demonstrates NGS's clinical utility in real-world South Indian NSCLC patients through survival analysis.

## Key findings

- NGS group had significantly better overall survival than non-NGS group (P=0.0038).
- NGS-matched treatments led to longer progression-free and overall survival compared to non-matched treatments.
- Targetable NGS subgroup showed significant survival advantages over non-targetable subgroup.

## Abstract

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is an advanced sequencing technology that enables rapid sequencing of numerous DNA strands and performs simultaneous analysis of various genes and diverse genomic characteristics. While there is a lack of substantial evidence available, the extent to which NGS may improve clinical outcomes among cancer patients in a real-world scenario remains uncertain.

To investigate the clinical utility of NGS in patients treated with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its impact on real-world clinical outcomes, treated with targetable or non-targetable agents.

This was a prospective observational study conducted in 322 participants distributed over 2 broad categories- NGS and non-NGS. The NGS category consisted of patients who underwent genetic mutation screening by the NGS method. This group was further categorized into 2 subgroups-NGS—targetable and NGS-non-targetable. The non-NGS category consisted of patients who did not undergo mutation testing by the NGS method.

There was a significant difference in overall survival between NGS and non-NGS groups (P = .0038). There was a significant difference between NGS targetable and non-targetable groups in terms of progression-free survival (PFS; P = .0016) and overall survival (OS; P < .0001). There was a significant difference between NGS-matched and non-matched groups in terms of PFS (P < .00011) as well as OS (P < .0001).

NGS significantly improved survival in advanced NSCLC. Patients who received treatments matched to their NGS results experienced significantly longer survival compared to those with non-matched treatments.