Gene Test Identifies Patients with High Risk Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality among men and women in the USA and the five-year survival rate for individuals with colon cancer is 64.9%.

About 80% of colon cancer patients will be cured from surgery alone; however, the other 20% of patients will have tumor recurrence. Recurrence in colon cancer arises from micro-metastases that are not observed or visible during primary treatment and improving risk stratification has great potential benefit for patient care in stage II colon cancer.

GeneFx Colon (Helomics Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA, USA) is a proprietary gene signature test utilizing an individual patient's RNA expression and a complex proprietary algorithm. The test is performed on a small amount of tumor tissue, which is removed during surgery or a biopsy, with results available within the average time period for recovery post-surgery. The laboratory analysis produces a binary test result that categorizes patients as being at either high or low risk of having a tumor recurrence within five years of surgery. Along with the clinical and pathological assessments, GeneFx Colon provides a clear result for risk of recurrence that can help guide physicians with decisions regarding the use of adjuvant therapy in patients with colon cancer.

GeneFx Colon analyzes the expression of more than 480 genes, as compared with competitor tests that analyze fewer than 20, to provide the most comprehensive tumor evaluation available. In addition, the clinical utility of GeneFx Colon has been established by five peer-reviewed multicenter prospective and retrospective controlled studies, which showed that use of GeneFx Colon was associated with a significant improvement in patient outcomes measured in terms of overall survival and recurrence-free survival.

Neil J. Campbell, MBA, MA, President & CEO of Helomics, said, “The GeneFx Colon microarray-based gene signature assay is a strong addition to our portfolio of comprehensive tumor profiling technologies that use both tissue-based live and fixed cell analysis to guide oncology treatment decisions. Our plans are to expand our proprietary offering in the areas of colon cancer. Based on published studies, we are confident that GeneFx Colon can offer oncologists and patients unprecedented insights when making colon cancer treatment decisions.”

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Helomics Corporation