WILMINGTON, DE — AstraZeneca has launched a national cancer awareness campaign aimed at increasing biomarker testing among U.S. patients, addressing a gap in cancer care as the pharmaceutical industry increasingly develops treatments tailored to the genetic and molecular characteristics of individual tumors.
The Wilmington-based pharmaceutical company said its Meet Your Mark campaign, featuring actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar, encourages patients and families to discuss biomarker testing with healthcare providers following a cancer diagnosis.
The initiative comes as biomarker testing remains underused among patients with advanced cancer. According to figures cited by AstraZeneca, only about one-third of those patients receive testing despite established medical guidelines recommending it for many cancer types.
Biomarker testing examines genes, proteins and other biological characteristics that can help physicians identify specific features of a patient’s cancer and determine which treatments may be appropriate.
The information can influence decisions about targeted therapies and immunotherapies, which are designed to work against particular molecular characteristics or biological mechanisms associated with cancer.
Testing can also provide information about how aggressively a cancer may behave and whether a treatment is working.
Medical organizations recommend biomarker testing for numerous cancers, including lung, breast, ovarian, prostate and colorectal cancers, melanoma and certain blood cancers.
The clinical significance lies in differences between tumors that may otherwise appear similar. Two patients diagnosed with the same type of cancer can have different molecular characteristics, potentially affecting their responses to treatment.
AstraZeneca cited a study involving more than 1,200 people affected by cancer in which more than 75% of respondents who underwent biomarker testing reported that it provided their physicians with valuable information for treatment planning.
The campaign seeks to increase patient awareness of those potential benefits and encourage discussions about testing earlier in the treatment decision-making process.
“Biomarker testing has a critical role to play in making this possible by providing doctors with valuable insights to guide cancer care,” said Mohit Manrao, senior vice president and head of U.S. oncology at AstraZeneca, referring to the company’s long-term goal of eliminating cancer as a cause of death.
Gosselaar, known for his television career, appears in campaign materials that draw on his familiar on-screen practice of calling a “time out” to encourage patients to pause and ask questions about their diagnosis.
“Having seen loved ones navigate cancer diagnoses, I felt it was important to spread the word about biomarker testing,” Gosselaar said.
“It’s a process that may help people better understand their cancer and help healthcare providers match them with a treatment that may target their specific biomarker.”
Meet Your Mark also incorporates accounts from people living with cancer and perspectives from healthcare professionals on how biomarker testing can influence treatment decisions.
The campaign directs patients and caregivers to MeetYourMark.com, which provides educational information about biomarkers and resources from cancer advocacy organizations.
The effort reflects the growing role of molecular diagnostics in oncology, where identifying specific tumor characteristics can help determine whether patients may benefit from treatments designed for particular biological targets.
Biomarker testing does not guarantee that a targeted treatment will be available or effective for every patient, but it can provide information that helps physicians evaluate treatment options.
By encouraging patients to ask about testing, AstraZeneca is seeking to make discussions about molecular characteristics a more routine part of cancer care.
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