This multinational real-world study compared the costs of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and single-gene testing (SGT) for biomarker assessment in patients with nonsquamous advanced NSCLC across 10 pathology centers in 10 countries. Based on data from 4,491 patients, NGS consistently showed lower per-patient and per-biomarker costs than SGT, with cost advantages increasing over time, reaching 26% lower costs in the current practice scenario. In standardized analyses, NGS became cost-saving when more than 10–12 biomarkers were tested. The findings indicate that NGS panels are a more cost-efficient strategy than SGT for comprehensive molecular testing in advanced NSCLC and support their broader implementation in routine clinical practice.

Malapelle, U., Chen, C. C., de Álava, E., Hofman, P., Kazdal, D., Kim, T. J., Lim, T. K. H., Ryška, A., Saetta, A. A., Schuuring, E., Troncone, G., Biscuola, M., Chen, Y. L., Tan, G. S., Marquette, C. H., Michelli, M., Ter Elst, A., Vošmiková, H., Kapp, J., Gonzalez-McQuire, S., … Stenzinger, A. (2025). Costs of biomarker testing in advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a global study comparing next-generation sequencing and single-gene testing. The journal of pathology. Clinical research, 11(2), e70018.