First Comprehensive Analysis of Biomarkers Associated with this Aggressive Form of Cancer Demonstrates Clinical Utility of Molecular Profiling in Identifying Treatment Options When Therapeutic Ambiguities Exist.
IRVING, TX, February 2, 2012 – Caris Life Sciences™, Inc., a leading biosciences company focused on enabling precise and personalized healthcare through the highest quality molecular profiling and blood-based diagnostic services, recently presented a clinical poster at the 2012 Multidisciplinary Head & Neck Cancer Symposium. The poster entitled, “Biomarker expression in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) – Implications for Therapy,” demonstrated the clinical value of molecular profiling in helping physicians develop individualized cancer treatment strategies for this aggressive tumor type with an often unpredictable prognosis. This study retrospectively reviewed data aggregated from tumors molecularly profiled with Caris Target Now.
With few existing therapeutic options after the failure of first-line regimens, HNSCC is a challenging disease for which molecular profiling can uncover additional therapies that otherwise might not have been considered. The Caris study comprehensively evaluated 166 HNSCC tumor samples to gain insight into treatment options based on the expression levels of a number of biomarkers predictive of response to various chemotherapies. Differences in the relative distribution of biomarkers, including ERCC1 , MGMT, MRP1 , PGP , RRM1 , TOPO1 , TOPO2A and TS , were significant. Expression data suggests this HNSCC cohort shows a trend towards resistance to platinum agents anthracyclines, temozolomide, gemcitabine, irinotecan or topotecan, as well as sensitivity to fluoropyrimidines and taxanes. The biomarkers analyzed demonstrated the ability to aid physicians in selecting primary or adjuvant therapy as well as evaluating new therapies for HNSCC patients.
“HNSCC is the sixth most common cancer worldwide , yet therapeutic options after the failure of standard, first-line chemotherapy treatments are limited due to the prior intensity of the therapy and resulting impact on the patient,” said Dr. Rebecca A. Feldman, head author of the study and research scientist at Caris Life Sciences. “Our expansive analysis of biomarkers related to HSNCC can help doctors determine prognosis and better assess outcome strategies for their patients. We were honored to share these findings with our distinguished peers at this year’s Symposium.”
Caris offers the world’s leading evidence-based molecular profiling service, Caris Target Now, which matches molecular data generated from the individual patient’s tumor with biomarker/drug associations from nearly 100,000 published clinical studies that are reviewed and graded by Caris’ evidence team of MDs and PhDs. This service provides a simple-to-read report indicating which available chemotherapeutic, biologic and hormone therapies are more likely to be effective, as well as those that are likely to be ineffective, based on published associations in the current scientific literature.
“This study provides promising evidence that patients may benefit from advanced molecular profiling to completely personalize therapeutic treatment selection,” added Sandeep Reddy, M.D., Senior Medical Director at Caris. “Tools like Caris Target Now will help oncologists narrow treatment options and provide their patients with more individualized and targeted care.”
About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences is a leading biosciences company focused on developing and delivering innovative molecular diagnostic, prognostic and theranostic services. The company’s evidence-based molecular profiling service, Caris Target Now™, matches molecular data generated from a patient’s tumor with biomarker/drug associations derived from the world’s leading clinical cancer literature. Caris Target Now uses the most advanced and clinically-relevant technologies to provide physicians with information to aid in the selection of personalized cancer treatments more likely to work for each patient. Caris is also developing a series of blood tests based on the company’s patented Carisome™ platform — a proprietary, blood-based testing technology for diagnosis, prognosis and theranosis of cancer and other complex diseases. Through the precise and personalized information provided by technologies like Caris Target Now and Carisome, the company believes that the quality of healthcare can be dramatically improved, while also significantly reducing costs. Headquartered in the Dallas metroplex, Caris Life Sciences offers services throughout the United States, Europe and other international markets. To learn more, please visit www.carislifesciences.com or www.caristargetnow.com.
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