On January 14, 2020 Biocept, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOC), a leading commercial provider of liquid biopsy tests designed to provide physicians with clinically actionable information to improve the outcomes of patients diagnosed with cancer, reported that its Target Selector assays are now available to physicians in order to evaluate the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of their patients for the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and biomarkers for patients with breast or lung cancer suspected of brain or central nervous system (CNS) metastases (Press release, Biocept, JAN 14, 2020, View Source [SID1234553201]). The presence of tumor cells in CSF may be an indicator of brain metastases, which occurs when cancer has spread into the CNS. Up to 30% and 36% of patients diagnosed with breast and lung cancer, respectively, will develop brain metastases.
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"Testing the CSF for cancer biomarkers in patients suspected to have brain metastases can be important, as the rapid confirmation and characterization of CNS involvement enables appropriate treatment selection in a timely manner," stated Santosh Kesari, MD, PhD, Chair and Professor, Department of Translational Neurosciences and Neurotherapeutics, Director of Neuro-oncology at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute and John Wayne Cancer Institute. "Liquid biopsy tests offer the ability to analyze an additional specimen type, beyond blood, to help physicians identify biomarkers and hence inform clinical decision making."
"We are very pleased to make our Target Selector platform available for testing CSF, as a more rapid identification of molecular alterations in brain metastases can aid physicians in choosing the best treatment options for their patients with breast or lung cancer," said Michael W. Nall, Biocept’s President and CEO. "Among the significant capabilities of our technology is its versatility, which enables applications in a variety of clinical situations and for use with multiple types of biofluids."
About CSF Testing
A medical procedure known as a spinal tap or lumbar puncture is typically done to collect CSF when cancer patients present with CNS symptoms, for example confusion or dementia. Over 200,000 of these procedures are performed annually in the U.S. Biocept’s Target Selector testing provides an alternative and potentially more accurate means compared to cytology to evaluate CSF. For more information about Biocept’s Target Selector testing, please contact Biocept Customer Services at 888.332.7729.