The Study of Druggable Targets in Nonsquamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract

The prevalence of these actionable targets varies among the different population with

Frequency and types of EGFR mutations in Moroccan patients with non–small cell lung cancer

“…14 Frequencies of EGFR mutations in NSCLC have been reported in north African populations, showing some differences among them in terms of the rate of mEGFR NSCLC. 8,11,12 The importance of our study lies in establishing data for the prevalence of EGFR in north Africa, in a larger cohort of Moroccan populations, across 5 different laboratories with centralized testing in a reference center. This work represents the first collaborative network in our region, and the largest series of north African patients with molecularly characterized lung cancer.…”

“…3 A comprehensive portrait of the global molecular epidemiology of mEGFR NSCLC is lacking, especially in African countries, despite some limited reports for northern African populations. 8,11,12 Knowledge of the molecular epidemiology at population level has become of paramount importance, for multiple reasons. Essentially, some tumors seem to present with molecular features less dependent upon ethnicity and selected risk factors.…”

Optimizing Precision Oncology and Immunotherapy Strategies: Moving into the Next Stage of Cancer Medicine

“…In this issue, Jazieh et al determined the pattern of testing and mutation prevalence of patients with NSCLC in the Middle East and North Africa populations. [9] They show that only a small fraction of these patients with NSCLC are tested for druggable targets despite harboring a higher prevalence of EGFR mutations than Western populations. Overcoming such challenges of molecular testing will require systematic plans to address both education and resource allocation.…”

Opening New Boundaries in Biomarker Detection: Awakening of Middle East and North Africa Region

“…The retrospective study by Jazieh et al [4] included a cohort of 566 patients with NSCLC from different institutions in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This cohort was analyzed to determine the frequency of these targets, their prevalence rate, and the challenges for testing in this region of the world.…”

“…This kind of approach is translated into an improvement of the opportunities for patients. [4] With the increasing number of biomarkers to be tested in clinical practice, we are facing another problem: the quantity and quality of the tissue and the importance to select the appropriate technology to assess their presence. Tissue samples obtained in clinical trials have "ideal" conditions (quantity, quality, and time point) and do not reflect the limitation that affects diagnostic samples in real-world clinical practice.…”