Interpreting and directing treatment based on comprehensive genomic testing for patients with cancer can be challenging. Molecular tumor boards (MTBs) can help by establishing collaborative frameworks to deliver patient care plans with the appropriate incorporation of genomic data. Our retrospective observational study evaluates the impact of MTB on the outcomes of adult patients diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer. Patients between 1 September 2017 and 1 January 2023 were grouped into those who received at least one treatment recommended by the MTB and those who did not. Hazard ratios (HR) for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and time on treatment (ToT) were determined using Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, stage, line of therapy, and primary site of diagnosis. Of 238 evaluable patients, 138 (58%) received at least one treatment recommended by the MTB. Patient characteristics were well-balanced between the cohorts, except for higher proportions of lung adenocarcinoma, melanoma, and a lower proportion of glioblastoma in the matched cohort. Median OS, PFS, and ToT were all increased in patients on matched treatment compared to those who did not (18.5 months vs. 9.1 months, HR 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43–0.96, p = 0.030); 9.7 months vs. 4.3 months, HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42–0.97, p = 0.035; and 4.3 months vs. 2.8 months, HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.41–0.83, p = 0.0027, respectively). Our findings show that MTB at a community cancer center is feasible and improves survival among patients with cancer, even after adjusting for confounding variables.
Ponvilawan et al. (Fri,) studied this question.