VeriStrat test may be useful for NSCLC clinical decision-making

Results from the combined analysis of two European Phase II trials were presented today at the 3rd European Lung Cancer Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.  The VeriStrat retrospective analysis was performed on serum samples from advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients treated with the combination therapy bevacizumab plus erlotinib.  Results showed that the VeriStrat test was able to identify patients likely to have better and worse survival outcomes when treated with the combination therapy.    

Pretreatment serum samples from 114 patients treated with bevacizumab plus erlotinib were classified as either VeriStrat Good or VeriStrat Poor. The study showed there was a statistically significant difference in overall survival between the two groups. Patients classified as VeriStrat Good had a median overall survival of 13.4 months versus 6.2 months for patients classified as VeriStrat Poor (p=0.0027, HR=0.480, 95%CI:0.294-0.784). Median progression free survival for patients classified as VeriStrat Good was 4.0 months and 3.2 month for patients classified as VeriStrat Poor, but this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.2632, HR=0.768, 95% CI: 0.482-1.223).

Researchers concluded that the VeriStrat test may be useful for clinical decision-making, representing a prognostic and potentially predictive biomarker for treatment with erlotinib and erlotinib combinations.  Prospective trials are ongoing, including a Phase III trial in advanced squamous cell lung cancer, sponsored by the European Thoracic Oncology Platform (ETOP). 

"These data represent the third study in which we have shown that VeriStrat classification correlates with survival outcomes in lung cancer patients treated with bevacizumab plus erlotinib, " commented David Brunel, CEO of Biodesix. "Although additional data is needed, this study supports the view that VeriStrat may be useful in identifying lung cancer patients that could benefit from the combination of bevacizumab and erlotinib, which is regarded as less toxic than traditional chemotherapy."

SOURCE Biodesix