Precision oncology is constantly evolving: thanks to theidentification of molecular markers it is possible to act selectively on the specific characteristics of the tumors and slow down their progression, making the disease chronic. Research always identifies new targets but it is essential to understand which of these are relevant from a clinical point of view and how widespread they are in the population, so as to improve patient access to innovative and effective therapies. Also thanks to an App that allows oncologists to have data relating to these targets available in real time, particularly in lung cancer, for which as many as 11 predictive markers have already been identified.
The first italian database knowledge base which collects data on the presence of predictive biomarkers of response for patients with lung cancer, in advanced stage and beyond, is called Atlas – reads a note – and was developed by Medica Publishing and Scientific Diffusion, together with the University of Turin and Federico II of Naples and coordinated by professors Silvia Novello, Giancarlo Troncone and Umberto Malapelle. Thanks to this database, specialists will be able to consult the data quickly and easily, also consulting the app offline.
“The possibility of knowing the distribution of precise markers in a real world context, therefore outside of clinical studies, is certainly one of the main needs of the scientific community, especially for those rare cases that you do not often encounter in your professional life – explains Malapelle, head of the predictive molecular pathology laboratory of the Department of Public Health, of the University of Naples Federico II and member of the scientific board of Atlas – Being able to deal with the experiences of the centers participating in the project, as in a team multidisciplinary, it is absolutely an added value both for the screening and early diagnosis of cancer, but also for the identification of possible innovative treatment paths”.
The Application – continues the note – brings together both the perspective of oncologists and that of pathologists, with the aim of generating a complete picture of the patient, bringing together in a single platform the clinical and biological data relating to the presence of predictive biomarkers of response. The system also allows you to have the link to the scientific literature for each specific marker and indications on active clinical studies, thus allowing the doctor to have greater knowledge of the available options specific to the type of tumor being treated.
Born from the need to have at hand all the data relating to the profiling of the various expressions of lung cancer, Atlas is an application built on the increase of knowledge on the part of the participating centers: today there are more than 40 centers active in Italy, with about 35 other institutions in the process of being activated. The data entered into the system by the participating centers are reviewed by a dedicated team so that they are approved, follow the international nomenclature criteria and can be compared with those of other countries for scientific purposes. Thanks to its specificity, the platform has an important research value, there are 3 studies generated by the work of the centers that have joined the project. Since January 2023, the App has had a total of 439 users, with 600 active sessions and 889 page views.
“I think the added value of this project – concludes Malapelle – lies in its inclusiveness: our goal is to give the possibility of accessing the knowledge of others and making one’s own available, in a network of equals. It was not easy to build this platform, but even more so to keep it alive”.
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