Lung-MAP 3.0 Expands Genomic Screening Options for Patients
Most patients who enroll in the Lung-MAP precision medicine trial in non-small cell lung cancer can now be matched to a targeted investigational treatment based on the results of their prior genomic testing, without needing to submit new tumor or blood samples. This expanded screening process will help make Lung-MAP’s targeted treatment studies more accessible to patients at a wider range of clinical sites, including community-based locations where most patients receive care.
Lung-MAP is a precision medicine umbrella trial for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), using genomic screening to match patients to investigational new treatments at more than 900 sites across the U.S.
As it moves into its second decade, the trial is undergoing another major update (Lung-MAP 3.0) and greatly broadening the list of approved next-generation sequencing (NGS) genomic tests that can be used to assign patients to a targeted Lung-MAP sub-study.
NGS testing has become a standard part of the treatment process for patients with NSCLC. This expansion of Lung-MAP means most patients who enroll to the trial can now be matched to a sub-study based on the results of earlier genomic testing, without submitting new tumor tissue or blood samples, although no-cost on-study testing remains an option for patients who need it.
The trial’s updated screening process can use results from most commercial and academic NGS platforms to identify biomarkers for matching a patient to a targeted treatment sub-study. The list of approved NGS platforms has grown to more than 40 and continues to expand.
This third generation of Lung-MAP simplifies the screening process, making trials of new treatments available to even more patients at a wider range of sites, including smaller community-based clinical sites, the type of site at which most patients are treated. By reducing barriers to screening, Lung-MAP is now even better positioned to enroll a patient population that truly reflects the demographics of those diagnosed with advanced NSCLC in the U.S.
“Lung MAP 3.0 exemplifies the ability of the trial protocol platform to remain dynamic and evolve with the shifting standards for lung cancer diagnosis and treatment to meet the needs of a broader group of patients,” said the trial’s principal investigator, Karen Reckamp, MD, of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Lung-MAP opened in 2014 as an umbrella trial enrolling patients with advanced squamous-cell NSCLC. At the start of 2019, the trial’s second-generation revision broadened enrollment to include patients with non-squamous cell NSCLC as well. Through its first decade, almost all genomic screening for assigning patients to Lung-MAP sub-studies was done using the Foundation Medicine genomic testing platform. Although previous test results can now be used for Lung-MAP 3.0 screening, on-study genomic testing using the Foundation Medicine platform remains available at no cost to the patient.
“Patients can still be screened on-study, at no cost, as in the past, but for patients who already have results from previous genomic testing, there’s no need for repeat testing,” said Saiama Waqar, MD, MSCI, of Washington University School of Medicine, the trial’s co-principal investigator. “The revised Lung-MAP is more pragmatic – patients and treatment sites can now use the NGS tests they already use.”
The Lung-MAP trial is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through grants CA180888, CA180819, CA180820, CA180821, and CA180868 and in part by participating pharmaceutical collaborators through the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with Friends of Cancer Research.
Lung-MAP ADVOCACY WEBINAR
Learn more about the Lung-MAP trial at a public webinar
Wednesday, May 14th, 2025, 1 – 2 pm ET.
Advocating, Accelerating, and Amplifying Lung Cancer Discovery will feature Lung-MAP experts presenting on recent trial updates and opportunities for patient engagement, followed by a panel of lung cancer advocates discussing these topics.
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