Molecular laboratory Trovagene has entered into a collaboration with the University of California at San Diego that could eventually lead to a blood-based diagnostic test for some forms of lung cancer. The collaboration, which involves the university’s Moores Cancer Center, will focus on the clinical utility of monitoring mutations in genes connected with the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR. Such mutations have been traced to patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Although patients with this form of the disease are often given EGFR inhibitors as part of their treatment regime, the cancer still often progresses, suggesting that a more specific focus on mutations is required in order to fine tune medications. The development of such a test could be crucial in treating the disease, which has an average five-year survival rate of around 25 percent, including all stages of lung cancer. That’s primarily because lung cancer is usually detected late in its progression—typically after it has become symptomatic. The survival rate is higher the earlier it is diagnosed but at stage two of the disease, the survival rate drops to around 30 percent and drops rapidly in subsequent stages. The survival rate from the small cell version of the […]
Molecular laboratory Trovagene has entered into a collaboration with the University of California at San Diego that could eventually lead to a blood-based diagnostic test for some forms of lung cancer.
The collaboration, which involves the university’s Moores Cancer Center, will focus on the clinical utility of monitoring mutations in genes connected with the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR. Such mutations have been traced to patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
Although patients with this form of the disease are often given EGFR inhibitors as part of their treatment regime, the cancer still often progresses, suggesting that a more specific focus on mutations is required in order to fine tune medications.
The development of such a test could be crucial in treating the disease, which has an average five-year survival rate of around 25 percent, including all stages of lung cancer. That’s primarily because lung cancer is usually detected late in its progression—typically after it has become symptomatic. The survival rate is higher the earlier it is diagnosed but at stage two of the disease, the survival rate drops to around 30 percent and drops rapidly in subsequent stages. The survival rate from the small cell version of the disease–which completely lacks any molecular-based diagnostic test–is even lower.
Both Trovagene and UC San Diego officials are hoping to be able to create a test that could detect the presence of non-small cell lung cancer without requiring a biopsy, an involved and often painful procedure.
"A serious clinical challenge in treating this disease is to obtain lung tissue biopsies. Severe complications from these biopsy procedures occur and are associated with significant cost,” said Hatim Husain, M.D., lead investigator and assistant professor of hematology-oncology at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center. “A liquid biopsy has potential to reduce the need to conduct lung tissue biopsies, and also offers the ability to frequently obtain critical genomic information for improved patient management."
Trovagene has developed a testing platform for detecting mutations in patient-specific cancers. It has conducted similar collaborations and studies on lung cancer patients with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and City of Hope National Medical Center in Southern California. Company officials said the collaboration with UC San Diego would constitute an expansion of the work with those other hospitals.
Takeaway: Trovagene is continuing to develop testing techniques in collaboration with academic medical centers to hone treatments for cancer patients.
