On November 17, 2022 Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a company improving health through innovative tests that guide patient care, reported the publication of a study completed in collaboration with the Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) in which most patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma (UM) indicated their desire for prognostic testing at diagnosis, reported finding value in their test result and experienced lower decision regret, regardless of whether their test result indicated that their UM tumor was at a high or low risk of metastasis (Press release, Castle Biosciences, NOV 17, 2022, View Source [SID1234624217]). The study, titled "Uveal melanoma patient attitudes towards prognostic testing using gene expression profiling," was published in Melanoma Management and can be viewed on Castle’s website.

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"We were excited to embark on this collaboration with Castle Biosciences, a leader in prognostic testing for uveal melanoma, as few studies have explored patients’ perspectives towards prognostic testing and the value patients can gain by having personalized prognostic information," said Kyleigh LiPira, M.B.A., chief executive officer of the MRF. "The more information patients can have in advance of making treatment decisions is critical to having successful outcomes. This data further reinforces the need for patients to understand their options so they can be active participants in their care."

The study aimed to assess patient experiences with DecisionDx-UM testing and other prognostic methods through an online questionnaire that was distributed by the MRF’s CURE OM initiative. CURE OM (the Community United for Research and Education of Ocular Melanoma) is the MRF’s initiative to increase awareness, education and research funding for ocular melanoma, while improving the lives of people affected by this disease. The questionnaire captured anonymized information regarding patients’ experiences with prognostic testing following a diagnosis of UM; 177 patients completed the survey.

Highlights from the study include the following:

90% of respondents reported wanting prognostic information at the time of diagnosis.
99% of respondents who had prognostic testing performed with DecisionDx-UM and shared their test results (80 out of 81 respondents) reported gaining value from their test result.
Patients reported gaining value from their prognostic test results, including:
More personalized treatment options
Increased knowledge and understanding of their disease
Relief from uncertainty about the future
Information relevant to life planning
Patients who received a low-risk (Class 1A) DecisionDx-UM result were 10 times more likely than those who received a high-risk (Class 2) result to report gaining a "sense of relief from uncertainty about the future." (X2=11, df=1, p=0.0009). Conversely, a majority of patients who received a high-risk (Class 2) result reported that their test result provided them "increased knowledge and understanding" about their disease (X2=17.48, df=3, p=0.0006).
There was no significant difference in decision regret levels among those receiving a low- (Class 1A), intermediate- (Class 1B) or high-risk (Class 2) DecisionDx-UM test result (Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test, X2=4.1, p=0.13).
Patients who chose to have some kind of prognostic testing experienced less decision regret than patients who opted out of testing, reinforcing the overall value that prognostic testing can bring to a patient’s care, regardless of whether they receive a low- or high-risk result.
About DecisionDx-UM

DecisionDx-UM is Castle Biosciences’ 15-gene expression profile (GEP) test that uses an individual patient’s tumor biology to predict individual risk of metastasis in patients with uveal melanoma. DecisionDx-UM is the standard of care in the management of newly diagnosed uveal melanoma in the majority of ocular oncology practices in the United States. Since 2009, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC; v7 and v8) Staging Manual for UM has specifically identified the GEP test as a prognostic factor that is recommended for collection as a part of clinical care. Further, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines for uveal melanoma include the DecisionDx-UM test result as a prognostic method for determining risk of metastasis and recommended differential surveillance regimens based on a Class 1A, 1B, and 2 result. DecisionDx-UM is the only prognostic test for uveal melanoma that has been validated in prospective, multi-center studies, and it has been shown to be a superior predictor of metastasis compared to other prognostic factors, such as chromosome 3 status, mutational status, AJCC stage and cell type. It is estimated that nearly 8 in 10 patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma in the U.S. receive the DecisionDx-UM test as part of their diagnostic workup. More information about the test and disease can be found at www.CastleTestInfo.com.