The DecisionDx-Mesothelioma test was discovered, developed and validated by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. The test both confirms differential diagnosis and predicts survival in patients undergoing standard of care surgical resection. The test is technically robust and has been clinically evaluated in a prospective clinical study, achieving the highest “1A level of evidence” as defined by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (JNCCN, 2011, volume 9, supplement 5).
Mesothelioma disease creates diagnostic and prognostic challenges. Standard of care includes surgical resection with or without adjuvant therapy and is a complex procedure involving significant recovery time. Unfortunately, only some patients experience significant benefit from these standard of care interventions.
According to Dr. Raphael Bueno, Associate Chief of Thoracic Surgery, at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, who led the team that developed this test with NCI funding, “mesothelioma is a heterogeneous disease with some people doing relatively well with surgery and others not. We now have a molecular test that alone as well as in conjunction with other simple clinical parameters can help identify those patients who will most likely benefit from aggressive surgery, as well as assist with further treatment planning. This test is a tremendous advance in the clinical management of mesothelioma patients.”
Castle Biosciences is completing validation under CAP accredited / CLIA certified standard operating procedures. Under current timeline assumptions, the company is targeting availability in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Background on Castle Biosciences:
Castle Biosciences is a cancer based molecular diagnostics company whose mission it is to serve individuals afflicted with rare or orphan cancers and those who care for them. The company has commercially available tests for use in eye cancer (uveal melanoma), thymoma, and brain cancer (glioblastoma and lower-grade gliomas). The company’s tests can only be ordered by a licensed physician.
For more information on the DecisionDx-Mesothelioma assay, please visit us online or call Castle Biosciences Customer Service at 866-788-9007.
