Expansion of an Academic Molecular Tumor Board to Enhance Access to Biomarker-Driven Trials and Therapies in the Rural Southeastern United States.

Abstract

Targeting tumor-specific molecular alterations has shown significant clinical benefit. Molecular tumor boards (MTBs) connect cancer patients with personalized treatments and clinical trials. However, rural cancer centers often have limited access to MTB expertise. We established an academic-community partnership expanding our academic MTB to affiliated rural community cancer centers. We developed a centralized molecular registry of tumors (MRT) to aggregate the comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) results and facilitate multidisciplinary MTB review. Of the 151 patients included, 87 (58%) had actionable genomic biomarkers, 42 (28%) were eligible for a targeted off-label therapy, and 27 (18%) were matched to a clinical trial. Of those with a clinical trial match, only 1 of 27 (3%) was enrolled in the identified trial. One year into implementation, community oncology providers were anonymously surveyed on persistent barriers to precision treatment utilization. The primary barriers to clinical trial enrollment were the distance to the trial center (70%), lack of transportation (55%), and lack of local trials (50%). This study offers a framework to improve access to molecular expertise, but significant barriers to the equitable use of CGP and trial enrollment persist.