Overview
Neurotrophic tropomyosin receptor kinase (NTRK+) gene fusions are rare but important oncogenic fusions found across many types of solid tumors. However, how often these fusions occur and their impact on patient outcomes are not well understood.
This study used the US-based deidentified Flatiron Health–Foundation Medicine solid tumor and pantumor Clinico-Genomic databases to examine 159 patients with advanced or metastatic NTRK+ solid tumors diagnosed from 2011 to 2024. The most common cancers in this group were non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. Researchers measured the prevalence and incidence of NTRK+ fusions and explored the relationship between real-world progression-free survival and real-world overall survival.
Why this matters
This is one of the largest real-world studies to date focused on NTRK+ cancers, providing new insights into how rare these fusions are and how they affect patients across different tumor types. Importantly, the study found a moderate correlation between rwPFS and rwOS, suggesting that rwPFS can be a meaningful surrogate for overall survival in research and clinical practice—especially when long-term follow-up is limited. These findings help fill critical knowledge gaps about NTRK+ cancers and support the use of real-world data to guide treatment decisions and future research for patients with these rare but actionable genetic changes.