Researchers wanted to understand how often certain genetic changes called NTRK fusions appear in solid tumors. They looked at genetic testing results from 15,128 adult patients with various cancers who received care in a community health system. The testing used a method that examines both DNA and RNA to find these fusions.
The study found that only 0.2% of patients (30 people) had a confirmed NTRK fusion. These fusions appeared in 12 different types of solid tumors. The testing also identified 8 fusions that were new or hadn't been described before. The study did not report any safety concerns related to the testing itself.
It's important to be careful with these results because this was an observational study from just one community health system. The findings might be different in other hospitals or patient groups. The study also didn't track what happened to patients after they got their test results, so we don't know how the testing affected their treatment or outcomes.
Readers should understand that NTRK fusions are very rare in solid tumors, appearing in about 2 out of every 1,000 cases in this health system. While finding these fusions can help guide treatment decisions, this study mainly shows what one health system found when they did this type of genetic testing.