Access to treatment-guiding biomarkers in the UK: surveys of cancer patients and healthcare professionals.

AIMS

To understand current barriers to treatment-guiding biomarker testing in cancer patients in the UK.

METHODS

A literature search, interviews with healthcare professionals, and a focus group of cancer patients were used to identify current challenges and barriers to treatment guiding biomarker testing. These were followed by online surveys of healthcare professionals and patients designed to further explore and quantify challenges to biomarker testing within the UK.

RESULTS

Challenges were identified across the entire biomarker testing pathway, the most common being insufficient workforce, long turnaround times, and lack of specific training. These challenges had a negative impact on patient access to targeted cancer therapies.

CONCLUSIONS

Challenges to accessing treatment-guiding biomarker testing of cancer patients within the UK are impacting clinical decision-making. There is a requirement to improve awareness and training of healthcare professionals, particularly nurses and advanced clinical practitioners, with opportunities to improve outdated and fragmented ordering and reporting processes. Steps should also be taken to improve the availability of plain-language information materials for patients, to promote understanding and self-advocacy.