Biodesix today announced that VeriStrat results from two phase II advanced lung cancer trials will be presented at the upcoming 2012 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. The first study will be presented by Karen Reckamp, MD (City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center) and reports on the analysis of pre-treatment serum samples from a Phase II study evaluating erlotinib or erlotinib plus high-dose celecoxib in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The second study will be presented by Tom Stinchcombe, MD (UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center) and reports on the analysis of pre-treatment serum samples taken from a Phase II study evaluating erlotinib, gemcitabine, and erlotinib plus gemcitabine in elderly advanced NSCLC patients. The purpose of both studies was to determine the clinical utility of the blood-based test, VeriStrat, in selecting more beneficial treatment regimens for advanced NSCLC patients. Both studies evaluated the ability of the test to identify a group of patients whose cancer had a slower progression of disease and longer overall survival when treated with erlotinib or alternative therapies, such as gemcitabine, gemcitabine plus erlotinib, and erlotinib plus high- dose celecoxib.
VeriStrat is currently used by physicians to help them guide treatment decisions for patients with previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The test identifies patients who are likely to have good or poor survival outcomes following treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs), such as erlotinib and gefitinib. VeriStrat has been evaluated retrospectively in several lung cancer trials, including the phase III registrational trial of erlotinib in advanced NSCLC.
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