Addressing Comprehensive Lung Cancer Biomarker Testing Through Project ECHO

Project Title: Addressing Comprehensive Lung Cancer Biomarker Testing Through Project ECHO 3/1/2021-2/28/2022 Project Summary Despite an unprecedented acceleration of new treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that targets specific biomarkers, many patients face vast challenges receiving comprehensive biomarker testing. In fact, many cancer treatment facilities, particularly in community practice settings and in rural communities, are limited in their ability to offer biomarker testing. Often overlapping, these barriers can be categorized as provider barriers, patient barriers, and system/institutional barriers. Specifically, providers barriers may include knowledge gaps regarding the need for testing for treatment selection among oncologists, pathologists, and pulmonologists, lack of communication between medical stakeholders, confusion regarding choice of assay, procurement of adequate tissue for sampling, and cost. In addition to the common logistical barriers like cost and reimbursement complexities, patients may not understand the importance of testing, especially due to the slow turnaround time. At the system/institutional level, often there is not a clear process, clear role delineation, and a lack of resources. This pilot project will utilize the Project ECHO Model within three states concurrently (Kentucky, Georgia, and Mississippi) for approximately six to nine months. The intent is to mobilize each state and build sustainability, interconnectedness, and collaboration, after the ECHO Series concludes. While the ACS will lead the coordination, the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network will be the co-lead for Kentucky. The goals will be for participants to gain knowledge and confidence to address the overlapping and common barriers that exist within their respective cancer teams and institutions and be equipped to implement comprehensive biomarker testing in NSCLC. Moreover, the state-based approach will foster collaboration to address the more common barriers related to biomarker testing within each state or region, reflective of their unique cultural, geographic, and payer landscape. This is a non-research grant from the American Cancer Society for an education project.