A gene test that helps doctors pick cancer treatment
Original title: Genome Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (NYU LG-PACT) for Clinical Patient Molecular Diagnostics and Treatment
How far along is this research?
This is a preprint. Other scientists have not checked it yet, so treat it as an early signal rather than an answer.
This test is FDA cleared, and doctors can order it now.
The short version
Doctors read genes in tumor samples to help choose treatment.
What was studied. This report is about a tumor gene test called LG-PACT. It reads 606 genes. The team looked at results from 1339 patient tumor samples from 31 kinds of cancer.
What they found. Most of the samples came from brain and spinal cord tumors, 792 (59%) cases. These included meningioma, glioma: A tumor that starts in the glial cells, the support cells of the brain and spinal cord. Gliomas are given a grade from 1 to 4 describing how the tumor is expected to behave. See the glossary, and glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4, the highest grade. It grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. In 49.4% of the 1339 samples, the test found a change in a gene that drugs already target. Another 35.6% had changes in other genes. In 15% of cases, the test found no changes.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: This test is FDA cleared, so a doctor can order it today. It may show that a tumor has a gene change a drug can go after. It may also help a person find a clinical trial to join. A doctor and a pathologist still read the results and decide what they mean for you.
What it doesn't mean: This is a test, not a treatment. It is not a cure and it is not a promise. Finding a gene change does not mean a drug will work for you. Many people will have no target found at all. This report shows how the test was checked and used. It does not tell us how the patients did later.
Source: medRxiv (preprint), September 1, 2026 · Read the original
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