Dr. Husain on Monitoring the Emergence of T790M in Lung Cancer

Hatim Husain, MD, assistant professor of Hematology-Oncology at the University of California San Diego Moores Cancer Center, discusses a study on monitoring the emergence of EGFR T790M circulating tumor DNA in urine from EGFR-mutated non—small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Husain explains that 25% of lung adenocarcinomas are driven by the EGFR mutation, and its resistance clone, T790M, which is found in over 60% of patients. Second-line therapy focuses on targeting molecular resistance based on the detection of T790M.

Tissue-based testing is a widely accepted method to detect patients who are resisting therapies due to the acquisition or evolution of T790M. There have also been further developments to improve the analyses of circulating tumor DNA through both plasma and urine. Husain studied patients who received a first-line anti-EGFR inhibitor. He demonstrated that in 10 out of 13 patients, it is possible to detect T790M before CT scan progressions.