{ "abstract": "Background: Despite the growing number of potential predictive biomarkers, molecular testing in daily oncology practice remains fragmented.\n\nMethods: The GOIM Young Translational Group conducted a survey to map the molecular testing prescription habits of oncologists across diverse Italian institutions. The survey evaluated general practices and specific tumor types—including gastrointestinal, lung, breast, genitourinary, gynecological, melanoma, and cancer of unknown primary (CUP)—exploring variations in testing frequency, technology, timing, and sample types between academic and non-academic institutions. We also evaluated logistical differences between center types and specific topics of interest, such as Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) implementation, re-biopsy of new lesions, liquid biopsy timing/access and BRCA testing.\n\nResults: Sixty-three responses were collected from 46 institutions, spanning diverse geographical regions and institution types. Molecular analyses are performed entirely in-house in only 40% of cases overall. A marked institutional gap emerged: 60% of academic centers perform all testing internally, compared to just 20% of non-academic centers. Academic centers also demonstrated higher participation in external quality control programs (70% vs. 50%) and more frequently served as regional hubs (60%). Furthermore, a pronounced difference was observed in hereditary cancer testing: in-house germline BRCA1/2 testing for breast cancer is available in 81% of academic institutions compared to only 13% of non-academic centers. Access to liquid biopsy varied across tumor types and center settings. In colorectal cancer, 35.7% of all institutions reported a lack of access, with non-academic centers experiencing a higher rate of non-accessibility (47.8% vs. 21.0% academic), highlighting structural disparities across practice settings.\n\nConclusions: This survey provides an overview of current molecular testing practices for solid tumors among a cohort of selected Italian oncology institutions, revealing stark disparities between academic and non-academic centers. While patient-level clinical endpoints, turnaround times, and costs were not directly measured, addressing these institutional variations and supporting patient access to precision oncology will benefit from coordinated nationwide policy harmonization, structural investments in non-academic laboratory infrastructure, and the formalization of managed hub-and-spoke networks.\n\nSupplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-026-08810-x.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Department of Medicine, Surgery, and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, Baronissi, SA Italy", "Department of Surgery & Cancer, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital, London, W120HS UK", "Phase 1 Unit, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, IRCCS, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy", "Ovarian Cancer Action Research Centre, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK", "Medical Oncology Unit, AORN Sant’Anna e San Sebastiano, Caserta, Italy", "Medical Oncology Unit, Ospedale del Mare, Naples, Italy", "Department of Oncology, Istituto Dermopatico dell’Immacolata IDI-IRCCS, Rome, 00167 Italy", "Medical Oncology, “Vito Fazzi” Hospital, Lecce, Italy", "Medical Oncology Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Delle Marche - Department of Clinical and Molecular Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy", "Internal Medicine and Medical Therapy Department, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy", "Oncology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy", "Medical Oncology Unit, Oncology Department, ARNAS Garibaldi, Catania, Italy", "Department of Public Health, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy", "Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Precision Medicine, Università della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy", "Oncology Unit UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Villa Maria, Mirabella Eclano, AV Italy", "Division of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Neuroendocrine Tumors, European Institute of Oncology, IEO, IRCCS, Milano, Italy", "Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, University of Naples Federico II, Via Sergio Pansini 5, Naples, Italy", "Pathology Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Foggia, Policlinico Riuniti, Foggia, Italy" ], "article_type": "research article", "arxiv": null, "author_total": 19, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Federica Papaccio" }, { "affs": [ 1, 2 ], "name": "Pasquale Lombardi" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Gaia Giannone" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Francesca Carlino" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Angelica Petrillo" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Rosa Falcone" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Ina Valeria Zurlo" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Alessandro Parisi" }, { "affs": [ 9, 10 ], "name": "Salvatore Corallo" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Concetta Sergi" }, { "affs": [ 0 ], "name": "Alessandro Caputo" }, { "affs": [ 12 ], "name": "Francesco Pepe" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Vincenzo De Falco" }, { "affs": [ 14 ], "name": "Antonio Febbraro" }, { "affs": [ 11 ], "name": "Roberto Bordonaro" }, { "affs": [ 15 ], "name": "Davide Ciardiello" }, { "affs": [ 16 ], "name": "Alberto Servetto" }, { "affs": [ 17 ], "name": "Paola Parente" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Carminia Maria Della Corte" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3hh9pajvdyt3h.bib", "cited_by": 0, "doi": "10.1186/s12967-026-08810-x", "fulltext_url": "https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13741769/", "id": "3hh9pajvdyt3h", "issns": [ "1479-5876" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-026-08810-x", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0", "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0", "licence_source": "article", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "heading", "Research" ], [ "openalex", "1306|Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics" ] ], "openalex": "W7203725761", "pdf_url": null, "pmcid": "PMC13741769", "pmid": "42989294", "published": "2026-08-18", "publisher": "BMC", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3hh9pajvdyt3h.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-10T12:22:46Z", "native_id": "PMC13741769", "source": "pmc", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-026-08810-x" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "medicine", "origin": "openalex:1306|Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics", "subfield": "oncology" } ], "title": "MAP of molecular analyses in real-worlD oncology centers – MAPpaMoNDO: a study of the translational research Young GOIM group", "title_text": "MAP of molecular analyses in real-worlD oncology centers – MAPpaMoNDO: a study of the translational research Young GOIM group", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-10T12:22:46Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3hh9pajvdyt3h", "venue": "Journal of Translational Medicine", "versions": [] }