BRCA Testing Rates Have Increased In Ovarian Cancer, Although Researchers Find The Rates To Still Be Suboptimal

Cancer Therapy Advisor (4/1, Moench) reports that “results of a retrospective analysis of real-world clinical data from patients with ovarian cancer showed a temporal trend for increased rates of BRCA testing in the setting of ovarian cancer, although BRCA testing rates remained suboptimal,” according to findings that “were submitted to the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2020 Annual Meeting on Women’s Cancer and presented online.” The study found “a notable increase in BRCA testing occurred from 2011 to 2018 with only 25% of patients receiving any BRCA test (23% germline BRCA; 1% somatic BRCA) in 2011 while 69% of patients underwent BRCA testing (61% germline BRCA; 20% somatic BRCA) in 2018.” Moreover, “while most BRCA testing was performed prior to or during the administration of frontline therapy, 16% of patients treated with second-line therapy and 12% of patients receiving third-line therapy underwent BRCA testing during these treatments.”