Overview of Trials Testing Tumour Molecular Profiling

Abstract

The feasibility to incorporate molecular screening approaches based on highthroughput technologies in cancer patients is now clearly established and is tested across prospective trials around the world. Such trials can be divided in 2 main groups: 1) First generation trials which are molecular triage trials without randomization and frequently without a build-in approach to gain access to the ad hoc molecular targeted therapies. 2) Second generation trials that encompass within the trial the access to targeted therapies, a randomization component and usually test the relevance of a new algorithm rather than the efficacy of a given compound and matched abnormality SAFIR01 is one of main prospective first-generation precision medicine trial ever conducted in breast cancer and demonstrated not only the feasibility of such an approach but also the high interest of patients and the potential associated benefit for patients with specific molecular alterations of FGFR/EGFR or PI3K pathway (Andre F et al. The Lancet Oncology 2014). The table herebelow provides a non-exhaustive list of some of the ongoing trials.