On May 20, 2021 Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a dermatologic diagnostics company providing personalized genomic information to inform treatment decisions, reported a publication describing the findings of a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) gene expression profiling (GEP) expert panel in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology (Press release, Castle Biosciences, MAY 20, 2021, View Source [SID1234580388]). The publication provides a framework for integrating DecisionDx-SCC into clinical practice.
Schedule your 30 min Free 1stOncology Demo!
Discover why more than 1,500 members use 1stOncology™ to excel in:
Early/Late Stage Pipeline Development - Target Scouting - Clinical Biomarkers - Indication Selection & Expansion - BD&L Contacts - Conference Reports - Combinatorial Drug Settings - Companion Diagnostics - Drug Repositioning - First-in-class Analysis - Competitive Analysis - Deals & Licensing
Schedule Your 30 min Free Demo!
Treatment plan decisions in SCC are based upon the likelihood of an individual patient’s tumor to metastasize. Data from previous studies has demonstrated that DecisionDx-SCC, Castle’s prognostic 40-GEP test designed to use a patient’s tumor biology to predict individual risk of metastasis for patients with SCC and one or more risk factors, is a significant, independent predictor of risk, compared to existing traditional clinical and pathologic staging systems.
The article, titled "Clinical Considerations for Integrating Gene Expression Profiling into Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Management," describes the findings of a multidisciplinary expert panel, representing backgrounds from academic medical centers and community practices. The panel also included specialties clinicians, such as Mohs surgeons, surgical oncologists and a radiation oncologist. The panel reviewed traditional risk assessment practices, guidelines and expert recommendations on DecisionDx-SCC. The panel also focused on decision-making points, where information from DecisionDx-SCC might inform the clinical management of patients with SCC and one or more risk factors.
Study findings:
Decision points supported by DecisionDx-SCC test results include:
nodal evaluation
adjuvant radiation therapy
follow-up and surveillance
The panel determined that the additional information provided by DecisionDx-SCC could:
help avoid unnecessary treatment and surveillance
allow healthcare providers to increase treatment intensity or follow-up as needed
inform if and when to refer a patient for medical, surgical, or radiation oncology
"This is an exciting time in the management of high-risk squamous cell carcinoma patients," said study author, Sherrif Ibrahim, M.D., Ph.D., Mohs surgeon and associate professor in the department of dermatology at The University of Rochester Medical Center. "Progress has been made with clinicopathologic risk factor assessment. However, potential remains for these assessments to overestimate or underestimate risk. Gene expression profile testing assists us in assessing the biologic risk of individual tumors and providing personalized care for our patients, which may lead to risk appropriate reduction of treatment or increased treatment intensity and more appropriate referrals."
About DecisionDx-SCC
DecisionDx-SCC is a 40-gene expression profile test that uses an individual patient’s tumor biology to predict individual risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma metastasis for patients with one or more risk factors. The test result, in which patients are stratified into a Class 1, 2A or 2B risk category, predicts individual metastatic risk to inform risk-appropriate management.
Peer-reviewed publications have demonstrated that DecisionDx-SCC is an independent predictor of metastatic risk and that integrating DecisionDx-SCC with current prognostic methods can add positive predictive value to clinician decisions regarding staging and management.
More information about the test and disease can be found at www.CastleTestInfo.com.