On April 6, 2021 Epigenomics AG (Frankfurt Prime Standard: ECX, OTCQX: EPGNY; the "Company") reported that a study recently published in BMC Gastroenterology shows that the Epigenomics new liver cancer panel represents a new and valuable alternative for the early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer, HCC) in cirrhotic patients (Press release, Epigenomics, APR 6, 2021, View Source [SID1234577597]).
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!
Greg Hamilton, CEO of Epigenomics AG, commented: "HCC is in the top 10 of most common cancers in both men and women worldwide, occurring in approximately 4.5 million U.S. adults. In addition, HCC is considered the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths world-wide with more than 780,000 deaths annually. However, early detection offers a good chance of curative treatment. The performance of the currently recommended surveillance methods, however, are suboptimal, as are the low participation rates in surveillance. In this respect, we are very pleased with the results of the study, as it demonstrates that our liver cancer panel can address the significant clinical need for novel minimally invasive testing to aid in the detection of HCC at an early stage, and thus save lives."
The study compared patients with cirrhosis who had early-stage treatable liver cancer with patients having cirrhosis but no cancer. As reported in the study, when combined with AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) measurement in an ad hoc analysis, the new Epigenomics Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel achieved a sensitivity of 68 % at a specificity of 97 %.
The current standard of care for HCC surveillance is ultrasound plus AFP with a sensitivity of 63% and a specificity of 84%. Consequently, the Epigenomics’ blood-based panel provides a very simple and affordable method that may improve clinical performance and could be particularly applicable in settings where resources for surveillance by imaging may be limited. Such a blood test can help detect HCC at an early stage and thus prevent cancer-related deaths, because after all, patients’ chances of survival decrease rapidly if the disease is detected late.