Link between ChemoFx Drug Response Marker results and RFS of cervical cancer patients

A new study reporting an association between ChemoFx^® Drug Response Marker results and recurrence free survival (RFS) of cervical cancer patients was presented at the 14^th Biennial Meeting of the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS), held in Vancouver October 13-16, 2012.

The abstract was submitted by Dr. Perry W. Grigsby and titled, In Vitro Chemoresponse Analysis and Clinical Outcomes in Cervical Cancer. The study, performed in collaboration with the Washington University School of Medicine, analyzed 33 patients with stage IIb or IIIb cervical cancer who were treated with weekly cisplatin chemoradiation (chemoRT) and received pre-treatment cisplatin chemoresponse testing with ChemoFx. Results revealed the 2-year recurrence free survivals (RFS) for patients who scored as responsive or intermediately responsive to cisplatin via ChemoFx were 87%, compared to 58% for those who were scored as non-responsive to cisplatin (p = 0.047).

The analysis concluded that the use of ChemoFx to perform a chemoresponse analysis of cervical cancer prior to treatment was feasible and predictive of RFS outcomes in patients treated with weekly cisplatin chemoRT. These results support the use of ChemoFx for helping with treatment decisions for cervical cancer patients.

"In retrospective studies, chemoresponse assays have shown significant correlation between assay prediction of response and progression free interval," says Dr. Perry W. Grigsby, lead author of the study. "From a clinical standpoint, such tests provide clinicians with more information when choosing an effective second line agent for the patient to receive maximum benefit, which is the ultimate goal when individualizing cancer treatment to each patient."