On October 19, 2020 Veracyte, Inc., (Nasdaq: VCYT) reported that new data presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2020 show that a genomic smoking index developed for use on samples obtained from the main lung airway can also be detected in nasal samples (Press release, Veracyte, OCT 19, 2020, View Source [SID1234568643]). The findings, shared in an oral presentation at the virtual meeting, reinforce the foundational "field of injury" technology behind Veracyte’s noninvasive nasal swab test being developed to identify lung cancer risk in patients with lung nodules.
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Every year in the U.S. alone, an estimated 750,000 patients with lung nodules detected through imaging tests are referred for diagnostic evaluation. These nodules are typically the first sign of lung cancer; however, determining which are cancerous and which are benign is often challenging, leading to unnecessary invasive procedures or delayed treatment. Because survival rates are significantly better for patients whose lung cancer is detected and treated earlier, it is extremely important to identify the lung nodules most likely to need intervention.
Veracyte’s in-development nasal classifier is designed to help physicians determine whether patients with lung nodules are at high or low risk for lung cancer so that those deemed "high-risk" by the test can proceed promptly to diagnosis and treatment, while patients classified as "low-risk" may safely be monitored over time.
At the CHEST meeting, Dr. Carla Lamb from Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, presented data from a study evaluating the ability of a 248-gene smoking index derived from whole-transcriptome sequencing to distinguish current versus former smokers in nasal samples collected from 144 patients and bronchial epithelial samples collected from 439 patients. All patients had lung nodules suspicious for cancer and were current or former smokers with no history of cancer. Results indicate that the genomic smoking index, while developed using samples from the main airway, can accurately distinguish current versus former smokers in samples obtained from the nose (89 percent sensitivity and 61 percent specificity).
"Our analysis suggests that the ‘field of injury’ technology underlying the nasal classifier can distinguish smoking-related genomic changes whether samples are derived from the nasal passages or from brushings of the main lung airway," said Dr. Lamb. "This finding is meaningful, because an accurate nasal swab-based lung cancer test developed from this technology would be a game-changer in lung-nodule management."
Veracyte continues to refine the algorithm for its nasal genomic classifier, accounting for variables such as nodule size and characteristics, smoking status, age, and more. The company plans to unveil early data for the test before the end of 2020, and to introduce the test in the United States in the second half of 2021.
"The data presented at the CHEST meeting provide additional feasibility evidence for our ‘field of injury’ approach to lung cancer diagnosis," said Bonnie Anderson, Veracyte’s chairman and chief executive officer. "We look forward to sharing early data for our nasal swab test and detailing the scientific rigor behind it. Moreover, we remain on track to launch our novel test next year, as part of a comprehensive lung cancer portfolio that we believe is going to transform lung cancer diagnosis."