On October 18, 2022 Veracyte, Inc. (Nasdaq: VCYT) reported that two abstracts highlighting the clinical value of the company’s Envisia Genomic Classifier and Percepta Nasal Swab tests in interstitial lung disease (ILD) and lung cancer, respectively, were presented as posters today at the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) Annual Meeting 2022, taking place in Nashville, Tenn., October 16-19 (Press release, Veracyte, OCT 18, 2022, View Source [SID1234622142]).

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The first poster provides further evidence that the Envisia Genomic Classifier can help identify patients with ILD, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), who are likely to have progressive disease. The Envisia test identifies a genomic pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) in lung tissue samples obtained by transbronchial biopsy.

In a study of 135 patients with undiagnosed ILD, researchers found that those who had an Envisia-positive result for UIP had a lower baseline lung function, as measured by forced vital capacity (FVC) testing, compared to patients with an Envisia-negative result for UIP (66.9% vs. 73.4%; p=0.034). They also had a significantly lower FVC when measured approximately one year later (63.2% vs. 73.3%; p=0.002). Further, Envisia-positive patients had a significantly greater absolute decline in FVC compared to Envisia-negative patients (-3.7% vs. 0.1%; p=0.03) and findings were similar independent of pathology results.

"Our findings suggest that a positive Envisia test result may serve as a biomarker for FVC decline by identifying the genomic signature of UIP in patients whose CT scans do not reveal definitive UIP." said Lisa Lancaster, M.D., professor of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, who presented the findings at the CHEST meeting. "Importantly, the Envisia test may help identify patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis who could potentially benefit from earlier therapy before they might experience significant, irreversible loss of lung function."

Researchers also presented new preliminary study findings for use of the Percepta Nasal Swab test on potentially cancerous lung nodules found on CT scans. Veracyte developed the novel, noninvasive Percepta Nasal Swab test to help physicians more accurately, quickly and confidently determine which patients with lung nodules are low-risk for cancer and can be safely directed to routine monitoring, and which are high-risk for cancer and should proceed to further diagnostic work-up and treatment as needed.

The new data suggest that the Percepta Nasal Swab test may categorize more lung nodule patients as low-risk or high-risk for cancer, as compared to the standard-of-care (SOC) approach, which consists of a physician’s own assessment of clinical factors along with CT imaging. Previous data have demonstrated that the Percepta Nasal Swab test is highly accurate when it identifies patients as low- or high-risk for cancer.

"The data presented at the CHEST 2022 meeting reinforce our commitment to driving innovation that can help physicians make better care decisions for their patients," said Bill Bulman, M.D., medical director, Pulmonology, at Veracyte. "These findings suggest that, beyond helping to diagnose IPF, our Envisia test may also help to identify progressive disease in patients with other forms of ILD. Additionally, early results suggest that our Percepta Nasal Swab test may be able to change risk stratification so that patients with suspicious lung nodules may receive more-appropriate care."