Learn more about WAYFIND-R

WAYFIND-R is a global registry that collects clinical data, tumour characteristics and outcomes from patients with solid tumours profiled with a next-generation sequencing (NGS) test. It has been created by Roche in collaboration with external experts in the field of precision oncology.

WAYFIND-R aims to enable collaborations and provide meaningful insights and high-quality evidence to enhance our understanding of precision oncology and ultimately transform the lives of people with cancer.

The evolving field of precision oncology

Cancer is caused by mutations in a person’s DNA that trigger cells to grow and divide uncontrollably.¹ The mutations driving each person’s cancer may differ from one person to another, even if they have the same cancer type.¹

Precision oncology is a personalised approach to cancer care where treatments are tailored to individuals, designed specifically to target DNA mutations in cancer cells and to engage the immune system to fight back against a cell’s unique signature.² To identify these mutations, next-generation sequencing (NGS) tests are increasingly used.³

This personalised approach may improve outcomes for patients, such as their response to treatment.⁴

However, there are still outstanding questions that need to be answered to understand what is the most appropriate treatment for each patient. As many mutations are rare, this increases the amount of data that need to be collected to gain insights and answer relevant research questions. WAYFIND-R is designed to help achieve this.

What WAYFIND-R aims to achieve

1. A registry to collect data

A registry is an organised system that uses observational methods to collect uniform data on specific outcomes in a population defined by a particular disease, condition or exposure.^5,6 WAYFIND-R is a global registry that enrols patients with solid tumours profiled with a next-generation sequencing (NGS) test and that collects data on patient and tumour characteristics, and their outcomes. This includes data about their cancer diagnosis, laboratory test results, treatments, how they respond, and the decision-making process along the way.

2. A platform to generate evidence and collaborate

The data collected by the WAYFIND-R registry will provide the medical and scientific community worldwide with a database to gain real-world insights and carry out registry-based studies to answer research questions. By bringing together sites from across the world and connecting researchers, WAYFIND-R aims to facilitate collaborations and promote a collective effort towards advancing precision oncology.

For example, researchers and healthcare professionals may be able to:

Better understand the current cancer care processes and outcomes
Describe the treatments and clinical course of solid tumour cancers in people who have undergone next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing
Answer many specific research questions that address gaps in precision oncology

By generating real-world insights and evidence, WAYFIND-R aims to enhance our understanding of precision oncology and transform the lives of people with cancer.

Explore data and research opportunities

Establishing a high-quality database

How WAYFIND-R ensures high-quality real-world data

As a registry, WAYFIND-R is considered a source of real-world data (RWD) and to optimally leverage this type of data, it needs to be of high quality^.2-5

As such, numerous mechanisms are in place to achieve this goal, such as:

Regulatory or ethical committee / institutional review board review and approvals required by law or institutional policy
A data collection system that uses drop-down menus, minimises free text entry and uses common data models⁶
Data checks, including at site level, to monitor data accuracy and completeness
Experts Committees to ensure scientific value and integrity and high-quality data
Numerous steps to quantify and minimise biases

If you would like to learn more about WAYFIND-R research opportunities, please contact us by filling out the form below.

Steering Committee

The WAYFIND-R registry is developed with the support of a Steering Committee, which comprises seven internationally recognised experts with knowledge in the fields of precision oncology, clinical genetics, genome informatics, epidemiology and statistics, as well as a patient representative. Collectively, the Steering Committee provides guidance and recommendations to ensure that WAYFIND-R meets the needs of future research questions and that the collected data is relevant and reliable. This will help make WAYFIND-R as valuable to the scientific community and patients as possible.

Prof. Allan Hackshaw

MSc; co-chair

Prof. Jean-Yves Blay

MD, PhD; co-chair

Prof. Christophe Le Tourneau

MD, PhD

Dr Rodrigo Dienstmann

Jan Geissler

Dr. Helene Schlecht

Dr. Mélanie Courtot

REFERENCES
Ogino S., Fuchs CS., and Giovannucci E. (2012) Expert Rev Mol Diagn 12(6):621–8.

Prasad V., and Gale R.P. (2017) What Precisely Is Precision Oncology – and Will It Work? The ASCO Post. Available at: https://ascopost.com/issues/january-25-2017/what-precisely-is-precision-oncology-and-will-it-work/ [Accessed December 2020].

Behjati S., and Tarpey PS. (2013) Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed 98(6):236–8.

Schwaederle M., Zhao M., Lee JJ., et al. (2015) J Clin Oncol 33(32):3817–25.

European Medicines Agency Guideline on registry-based studies, EMA/426390/2021, Available at: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/scientific-guideline/guideline-registry-based-studies_en-0.pdf

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT04529122 https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04529122

Le Tourneau, C., et al. An Approach to Solving the Complex Clinicogenomic Data Landscape in Precision Oncology: Learnings From the Design of WAYFIND-R, a Global Precision Oncology Registry. JCO Precis Oncol. 2022;6:e2200019.