A Guide for Community Oncologists: Interpretation of Genetic and Biomarker Testing Results

This activity is part of a series

Faculty

Banu Arun, MD
Professor, Department of Breast Medical Oncology
Co-Medical Director, Clinical Cancer Genetics Program and Section Chief Breast Genetics, Prevention and Screening
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX
Banu Arun, MD

Dr. Banu Arun is Professor in Department of Breast Medical Oncology, Co-Medical Director of the Clinical Cancer Genetics Program, and Section Chief Breast Genetics, Prevention and Screening at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research focuses on identifying risk biomarkers for breast cancer and prevention and characterizing risk factors in a cohort of high-risk women with hereditary gene mutations (BRCA and others) as well as assessing breast cancer biology in these patients. Dr. Arun has served as the Principal Investigator on several clinical trials evaluating agents such as letrozole, imatinib, gemcitabine, R115777, and PARP inhibitors for metastatic breast cancer and celecoxib, atorvastatin, dasatinib, and Tamoxifen Gel in short-term breast cancer prevention trials. Her research also includes outreach and education, as well as cascade genetic testing of family members.

Given her national and international expertise, she has served on several committees, including The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Prevention committee ASCO Prevention Education Committee and currently serves as the Co-Chair for the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Prevention and Epidemiology Committee and member of the NCCN Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Guideline Committee as well as the NCCN Breast Hereditary Genetics Guideline Committee, member of the ASCO Germline Genetic Testing Guideline Panel, and member of the  National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Prevention Steering Committee. She served as grant reviewer for Susan Komen and NCI P01 and reviewed for journals including the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cancer, British Medical Journal, Cancer Prevention and Epidemiology, amongst others. She has more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and received research grants from the NCI, DoD, Susan Komen Foundation, and CPRIT.

She was featured in Forbes (December 2017) as one of the top 30 Breast Medical Oncologists in the United States. She has received FASCO award recognition in 2020 from the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is the recipient of the ASCO–American Cancer Society Award 2021.

 

Robert L. Coleman, MD
Gynecologic Oncologist
Chief Medical Officer, Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI)
Co-Director, GOG-Partners
Philadelphia, PA
Robert L. Coleman, MD

Dr. Coleman completed his Obstetrics & Gynecology residency at Northwestern University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois, and completed his fellowship at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in 1993. Prior to joining the M.D. Anderson faculty in 2004, he served as Vice-Chairman, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. At M.D. Anderson, Dr. Coleman was a Professor and served as the Executive Director for Cancer Network Research, holding the Ann Rife Cox Chair in Gynecology. In March 2020, he joined US Oncology Research (USOR) as their Chief Scientific Officer and currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for Sarah Cannon Research Institute (SCRI), a joint venture research organization between USOR and SCRI.

Dr. Coleman has authored or coauthored over 700 scientific publications, including over 410 peer-reviewed articles, along with numerous book chapters, monographs, invited articles, and textbooks. In 2019, he received the 2019 APGO-CREOG award for Excellence in Teaching. He is a co-Director for GOG-Partners and serves on the Board of Directors for GOG-Foundation, Inc. He is the immediate Past-President of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) and was recently inducted into MJH Life Sciences 2020 class of “Giants in Cancer Care.”

Statement of Need

Accurate interpretation of genetic and biomarker testing results is essential to better inform and target therapy and is highlighted by rapid advances in multiple tumor types. In the community practice setting, understanding the impact of testing on treatment decisions reinforces shared decision-making practices. In particular, underserved patients and those with low socioeconomic and low health literacy status report poor familiarity with testing terminology and are not able to accurately explain the role of testing in treatment. Community oncologists are positioned to intervene and facilitate better patient outcomes through enhanced patient education.

In the third installment of this CME Outfitters Snack series, expert faculty will discuss the role of predictive biomarkers in guiding clinical decision-making, practical guidance for testing requirements and recommendations, and shared decision-making. Faculty will also present illustrative examples of utilizing testing to guide therapy.

Learning Objective

Employ strategies to provide genetic counseling for patients with cancer.

Financial Support

Supported by an educational grant from Merck Sharp & Dohme, LLC, a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc.

Target Audience

Physicians, physician associates (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), nurses and pharmacists specializing in pathology, oncology or surgical oncology caring for patients with cancer in community settings.

Credit Information

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Interprofessional (IPCE) 0.5

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Physicians (ACCME) 0.5

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Nurses (ANCC) 0.5

This activity is designated for 0.5 contact hours.

Note for California Nurses

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Pharmacists (ACPE) 0.5

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Activity UAN: JA0007185-0000-23-030-H01-P

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Disclosure Declaration

It is the policy of CME Outfitters, LLC, to ensure independence, balance, objectivity, and scientific rigor and integrity in all of their CE activities. Faculty must disclose to the participants any relationships with commercial companies whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, or with the commercial supporter of this CE activity. CME Outfitters, LLC, has evaluated, identified, and mitigated any potential conflicts of interest through a rigorous content validation procedure, use of evidence-based data/research, and a multidisciplinary peer review process.

Dr. Arun reports the following financial relationships:

Grants: Department of Defense (DOD); Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT); National Cancer Institute (NCI); and Susan G. Komen

Research Support: AstraZeneca (paid to the institution)


Dr. Coleman reports the following financial relationships:

Advisory Board: AbbVie Inc.; Agenus Inc.; Alkermes; AstraZeneca; Clovis Oncology; Deciphera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Genelux; Genelux Corporation; Genmab; GSK; ImmunoGen, Inc.; OncoQuest Inc.; OncXerna Therapeutics, Inc.; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Roche/Genentech, Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc.; and Novocure

Grants: AstraZeneca; Clovis Oncology; Genelux Corporation; Genmab; ImmunoGen, Inc.; Roche/Genentech, Inc.; and Roche/Genentech, Inc.

Other Financial or Material Support: DOD Academy; GOG Foundation Inc. (mentor grant); Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC); and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)


Disclosures were obtained from the CME Outfitters, LLC staff: No disclosures to report:

  • Joshua Caballero PharmD, BCPP, FCCP (peer reviewer)
  • Thomas Mitchell (planning committee)
  • David Modrak, PhD (planning committee)
  • Susan H. Yarbrough, CHCP (planning committee)
  • Sandra Caballero, PharmD (planning committee)
  • Sharon Tordoff (planning committee)

Faculty of this CE activity may include discussions of products or devices that are not currently labeled for use by the FDA. The faculty have been informed of their responsibility to disclose to the audience if they will be discussing off-label or investigational uses (any uses not approved by the FDA) of products or devices.

Obtaining Credit

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SN-187-041723-44

A Guide for Community Oncologists: Interpretation of Genetic and Biomarker Testing Results
Event Date: 04/17/2023