Data Demonstrating the Ability of ChemoFx® to Identify Platinum-Resistant Primary Ovarian Cancer Patients Prior to Treatment Published by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

PITTSBURGH--()--Precision Therapeutics, a life-science company dedicated to improving patient outcomes in gynecologic cancer, today announced that a study evaluating the ability of the ChemoFx® chemoresponse assay to identify resistance to first-line treatment in ovarian cancer has been accepted for publication by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG).

The study, titled, A Chemoresponse Assay for Prediction of Platinum Resistance in Primary Ovarian Cancer, evaluated the association of ChemoFx® results with disease progression for 276 FIGO stage III-IV ovarian, fallopian and peritoneal cancer patients treated with the standard of care first-line therapy carboplatin/paclitaxel. Patients whose tumors were scored as resistant by the ChemoFx test to carboplatin, were at significantly increased risk of disease progression compared to those with non-resistant tumors (median PFS: 11.8 vs. 16.6 months, respectively, p<0.001). The association was confirmed after adjusting for other clinical factors (HR=1.71, 95% CI=1.12-2.62, p=0.013). In addition to identifying platinum-resistant patients, the study also demonstrated the ability of ChemoFx to identify agents to which a patient’s tumor is sensitive. For 59% of those patients whose tumors proved resistant to carboplatin, at least one other commonly utilized agent was determined by ChemoFx to be sensitive or intermediately sensitive, indicating that these patients may benefit from alternative clinically validated treatments. These results further demonstrate the capability of the ChemoFx test to inform treatment decisions beyond the carboplatin/paclitaxel standard of care, particularly in cases where patients are unlikely to respond to the routine treatment.

Dr. Thomas C. Krivak, M.D., assistant director of gynecologic oncology and director of clinical research in gynecologic oncology at Allegheny Health Network, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in Pittsburgh PA, is the primary author of the study.

“What the findings of this study essentially mean for ovarian cancer patients is that resistance to standard platinum chemotherapy treatment can now be determined much earlier in the treatment pathway with the use of ChemoFx results,” said Dr. Krivak. “Earlier determination of platinum resistance may help physicians choose the more effective treatments upfront, minimizing exposure to ineffective and often expensive therapy. Additionally, having further information about the tumor and chemotherapy resistance could substantiate augmenting standard of care with a third chemotherapy or with targeted agents.”

In addition to these findings, a recent, prospective study on recurrent ovarian cancer patients showed a 14 month improvement in median overall survival when patients were administered treatments identified as sensitive by ChemoFx vs. the non-sensitive treatments. “The combination of information this test provides is invaluable to physicians who are compelled to choose from a range of equivalent treatment recommendations without prior knowledge of how an individual patient may respond to any given treatment,” said Sean McDonald, CEO of Precision. “The ability of this test to determine platinum resistance in primary ovarian cancer patients and to demonstrate longer overall survival by 14 months in recurrent ovarian cancer, makes it an instrumental tool in helping to improve outcomes in ovarian cancer patients.”

About ChemoFx®

ChemoFx® is a proprietary drug response marker, which categorizes an individual patient’s tumor response to a range of standard chemotherapeutic options. Recently published prospective data demonstrates a 14-month improvement in overall survival (OS) when recurrent ovarian cancer patients are treated with therapy indicated as ‘responsive’ by the assay. ChemoFx may also help identify platinum-resistant/refractory primary ovarian patients earlier in their treatment pathway, aiding physicians with the selection of effective treatment upfront for patients newly diagnosed. Precision Therapeutics currently receives ChemoFx® specimens from over 270 top medical institutions including 20 of the 21 National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Member Institutions, and 8 of the US News and World Report Top 10 Hospitals for Cancer Care.

About Precision Therapeutics

Precision Therapeutics, a leading life-science company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to personalizing cancer care and improving patient outcomes. Precision offers a portfolio of products developed to help guide physicians and patients with difficult clinical decisions throughout the cancer care continuum. The company’s other leading products for personalized cancer care include:

  • BioSpeciFx®, a portfolio of clinically relevant molecular tests that provide information about drug response and patient prognosis.
  • GeneFx® Colon, an expression–based gene signature developed for FFPE tissue from stage II colon cancer patients. Following surgery, GeneFx Colon assesses a patient’s risk of recurrence within 5 years.

For more information, visit www.precisiontherapeutics.com.

Contacts

Precision Therapeutics Inc.
Pam Ranallo, 412-432-1500 ext. 1502
pranallo@ptilabs.com

Release Summary

ChemoFx study published in AJOG

Contacts

Precision Therapeutics Inc.
Pam Ranallo, 412-432-1500 ext. 1502
pranallo@ptilabs.com