Every lung cancer is unique. Biomarker testing (also known as mutation testing, genomic or molecular testing) is a way to gather as much information as possible about a particular patient’s specific cancer. This should ideally be done before starting treatment. Biomarker testing shows whether the patient has a treatable driver mutation and determines the expression level of the PD-L1 protein.
The results help determine whether an approved targeted therapy or a specific immunotherapy drug is appropriate for the lung cancer patient’s treatment plan. Biomarker testing is most commonly used in treatment planning for advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer. Biomarker testing is now increasingly performed for non-small cell tumors at an early or locally extended stage.
