Biocept introduces blood-based test for detection, monitoring of prostate cancer and breast cancer

Biocept, Inc. (NASDAQ: BIOC), a molecular diagnostics company commercializing and developing biomarkers to improve the detection and treatment of cancer, announces the launch of the CLIA-validated androgen receptor expression assay using a patient's blood for the detection and monitoring of late-stage prostate cancer and a certain form of breast cancer.

"This test represents a significant milestone in which we expand into prostate cancer and further demonstrate the versatility of our proprietary liquid biopsy platforms," said Michael W. Nall, President and CEO of Biocept. "We continue to build on our leadership position in the emerging liquid biopsy field with commercialized tests for detection and monitoring of lung, breast, colon, gastric and now prostate cancers."

The Biocept assay uses circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from a simple blood draw to detect androgen receptor expression, which is prevalent in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of male cancer-related death and the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the U.S. with 220,800 cases identified in 2014, according to the American Cancer Society. Approximately one in every seven men in the U.S. will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.

Androgen receptor is also found in a subset of patients with estrogen receptor negative, progesterone receptor negative and Her2 negative breast cancer, known as triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer accounts for 10-20% of breast cancer patients, who typically have a poorer prognosis than patients with other forms of breast cancer.

"Studying various forms of androgen receptor expression could play a future role in personalized medicine for patients with metastatic prostate cancer, castration-resistant prostate cancer and triple negative breast cancer," said Veena Singh, MD, Senior Vice President and Senior Medical Director of Biocept. "Androgen receptor expression has a long established role in prostate cancer, with published and ongoing studies examining its status in triple negative breast cancer suggest possible prognostic and predictive value in these patients."

SOURCE Biocept, Inc.