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PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Precision Therapeutics, Inc., a life science company that develops personalized medicine products for individualizing cancer care, today announced that a clinical study which demonstrates the feasibility of the ChemoFx® chemoresponse assay to identify patients unlikely to respond to first-line therapy has been accepted for presentation at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncologists (WAGO). The meeting will be held from June 27-29, 2013 at the W Seattle in Seattle, Washington.
“We are very excited to be presenting this significant data at the WAGO Annual Meeting,” said Sean McDonald, President and CEO of Precision Therapeutics. “This study addresses the critical clinical question of how to predict resistance to first-line therapy in ovarian cancer. No personalized chemotherapy diagnostic on the market today can identify primary ovarian cancer patients who are resistant to first-line, standard of care therapy. We believe the results of this study will have a profound impact on improving patient outcomes in the treatment of this devastating disease.”
Recurrence following primary chemotherapy remains a major challenge in the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer. Though response rates to first-line platinum- and taxane-based chemotherapy therapy are high, approximately 80% of patients diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer will relapse and may benefit from subsequent therapies. For patients that relapse, including the 25% of patients who will have platinum-refractory or platinum-resistant disease (i.e., disease that progresses while on a platinum-based regimen or recurs within 6 months of completion of a platinum-based regimen), clinical trials should be considered. For patients who do not enter a trial, there is a vast selection of equivalent, NCCN-recommended chemotherapy agents from which a doctor may choose.
About the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncologists
The Western Association of Gynecologic Oncologists (WAGO) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1972 to provide a forum for education and dissemination of knowledge about gynecologic oncology. The Association stimulates and promotes original scientific investigation of gynecologic oncology, and disseminates information concerning new developments in gynecologic oncology and assists in the education of physicians and others interested in the gynecological cancer patient. WAGO has a main goal of promoting quality science and fellowship among the members. The membership consists of approximately 200 members including gynecologic oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists. The association membership is limited to board certified physicians who were either trained or currently practice west of the Mississippi River.
The Annual Meeting held in May or June presents a program of carefully chosen subjects dealing with clinical problems and research topics in the field of gynecologic oncology and allows participants an opportunity to interaction and discussion. The meeting is well attended, with a good mix of individuals from community practice, academic centers, and those completing fellowships or residencies.
About ChemoFx®
ChemoFx® is a proprietary, CLIA-certified and commercially-available chemoresponse assay which measures an individual’s tumor response to a range of therapeutic alternatives under consideration by the treating physician. By testing multiple chemotherapies on a patient’s tumor cells before treating a cancer patient, ChemoFx® helps determine the chemotherapies more likely to be effective and, therefore, provides valuable insights that help inform physicians’ treatment decisions with a goal of improving patient outcomes.
Precision Therapeutics currently receives ChemoFx® specimens from 271 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. Over 80,000 patient specimens to date have been tested with ChemoFx®.
About Precision Therapeutics
Precision Therapeutics, a leading life-science company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is dedicated to utilizing precision medicine for personalized cancer care. 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 leading products for personalized cancer care include the ChemoFx® chemoresponse assay and BioSpeciFx®, a select portfolio of clinically relevant molecular tests that provide information about drug response and patient prognosis. Additionally, in 2013 Precision plans to release two new gene signature products, under the GeneFx® brand. For more information, visit www.precisiontherapeutics.com or www.chemofx.com.
Contacts
Precision Therapeutics Inc.
Pam Ranallo, 412-432-1500 ext. 1502
pranallo@ptilabs.com
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