Genomic Health: Study Boosts Oncotype DX Again
Yet again, Genomic Health, Inc. (GHDX) has announced positive study results that reaffirm the Oncotype DX test's recent development as a significant predictor of prostate cancer aggressiveness at the time of diagnosis – before intervention with radiation or surgery.
A sub-analysis of a large Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) development study was presented at the American Urological Association (AUA.V) Annual Meeting on May 20. This extensive development study helps patients overcome tumor heterogeneity and biopsy under-sampling and under-staging, which provides a precise individualized risk assessment at the time of diagnosis. The study demonstrated that GPS predicts time to clinical progression regardless of post-surgery treatment.
The new analysis presented in the AUA meeting underscores the robustness of the development study, which was specifically developed and validated to identify those patients, who despite being diagnosed with low rate prostate cancer, had more aggressive disease and thus needed active surveillance. It also caters to the critical treatment questions for such patients.
This explanatory analysis took into account a subset of 185 patients, divided into 3 subgroups, who experienced biochemical recurrence after prostatectomy. Results from this analysis showed that the Oncotype DX GPS can predict clinical recurrence for all patients, irrespective of the type of post-surgery treatment they have received. It was also found that for each therapy subgroup, different biological pathways within the GPS are highly associated with patient outcomes.
Based on the original development study, Genomic's GPS has already been established as a significant test that helps men with very low, low- or intermediate-risk of prostate cancer. This latest analysis highlights the importance of including multiple biological pathways to measure disease aggressiveness and the GPS test has incorporated them successfully.
As a result of this sub-analysis, Genomic's Oncotype DX has emerged as a truly personalized test that predicts disease aggressiveness and addresses the challenges of biopsy under-sampling in cancer patients.
Genomic Health is consistently expanding its focus on gaining further understanding of prostate cancer biology, through the exploration of future applications of Oncotype DX. Consequently, we expect the company to garner an impressive share in the healthcare market in the coming years.
Genomic Health currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks worth considering in the biomedical industry include ANI Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ANIP), Myriad Genetics Inc. (MYGN) and Illumina Inc. (ILMN). All these stocks carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
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