Dr. Malhotra on Challenges with Precision Medicine in Advanced Solid Tumors

Jyoti Malhotra, MD, MPH, interim director, Phase I and Investigational Therapeutics Program and medical oncologist, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, associate professor of medicine, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, attending physician at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, discusses challenges with precision medicine in advanced solid tumors.

Currently, a main challenge in this patient population is making testing more widely available to patients, Malhotra says. However, additional FDA approvals are increasing accessibility to molecular testing, Malhotra explains. However, additional efforts are needed to ensure every patient with advanced solid tumors is tested for a potentially actionable target, Malhotra adds.

Another challenge is making clinical trials more accessible to patients because currently, trials are accessible only at select sites, Malhotra continues. However, clinical trials need to be taken into the community setting to make these targeted therapies more accessible, as not all patients are able to travel to a testing site, Malhotra concludes.