practicaldermatology.com
Patients of African ancestry remain underrepresented in eligibility for biomarker-driven precision oncology therapies, according to a new study in JAMA Dermatology.
The retrospective analysis of 59,433 patients with solid cancers looked at genetic sequencing data from MSK-IMPACT assays performed between 2014 and 2022 to evaluate biomarker-based eligibility for precision oncology drugs. These therapies rely on the presence of FDA-recognized somatic biomarkers to predict responsiveness to specific treatments.
The results showed significant disparities in drug eligibility across ancestral groups. According to the analysis, the 2013 approval of the EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor erlotinib for EGFR-mutant lung cancer provided disproportionate benefits to patients of East Asian and South Asian ancestry, who had higher rates of level 1 biomarkers compared to other populations. Patients of European ancestry saw increased clinical actionability following the surge in FDA drug approvals between 2019 and 2020, and those of African ancestry consistently had the lowest levels of biomarker-based eligibility during the same period.
"Despite the accelerated rate of FDA approvals for precision oncology therapies over the past decade, measurable differences in biomarker-based drug eligibility among patient ancestral groups exist," the researchers concluded. "These differences may exacerbate the systemic disparities in clinical outcomes in patients of African ancestry due to existing deficiencies in their access to cancer care."
Source: Arora K, et al. JAMA Dermatology. 2025. Doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2024.5794