CHEST Foundation Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Biomarker Checklist Demonstration Project Grant

Funding for the deployment of a quality improvement demonstration project in support of an initiative addressing biomarker testing for patients with suspected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

The CHEST Foundation is the patient-focused philanthropic arm of the American College of Chest Physicians. Its mission is to champion lung health by supporting clinical research, community service, and patient education.

Running alongside its 2023 research grants programme, CHEST is inviting proposals for deploying a quality improvement (QI) demonstration project in support of an initiative addressing biomarker testing for patients with suspected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

In October 2022, CHEST launched a comprehensive education and QI initiative addressing biomarker testing for patients with suspected NSCLC. To understand the barriers and motivators for ordering biomarker testing, CHEST conducted an online quantitative survey and in-person focus group.

The results of this research were developed into biomarker checklists (Institutional Checklist (pdf link) and Case-by-Case Checklist (pdf link)) by an expert panel of pulmonologists specialising in thoracic oncology. The checklists are designed to be used in clinical practice to help pulmonologists initiate orders for biomarker testing at the earliest point in the diagnostic process. The checklists cover tissue sampling, tissue processing/testing, and interdisciplinary coordination to optimise treatment outcomes and quality of life for patients with suspected NSCLC.

CHEST is seeking to run two QI demonstration projects, to commence in Q4 2023 and run for 12 to 18 months, to evaluate the impact of the biomarker checklists in achieving the following goals:

• Increased proportion of specimens processed properly after biopsy.
• Increased number of patients tested for biomarker mutations.
• Increased proportion of patients for whom biomarkers enabled targeted therapy.
• Increased care coordination among various disciplines involved in lung cancer diagnosis.