Clarient, a technology and services resource for pathologists, oncologists and the pharmaceutical industry, has launched a new lung cancer test, Insight Dx Pulmotype Test, to help physicians classify specific types of lung cancer and identify which therapies may be most effective.
Clarient said that the new test has been clinically validated to use in the sub-classification of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for approximately 85% of the more than 200,000 lung cancer cases diagnosed each year.
The Pulmotype test consists of a panel of biomarkers that allows physicians to classify NSCLC into adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma subtypes, which are key distinctions in choosing the most effective therapy. Newly developed targeted therapies can be effective but can also be toxic depending on the patient and his or her disease characteristics.
Pulmotype is the test launched following the company’s recent acquisition of Applied Genomics (AGI). AGI developed Pulmotype and recently validated the test with a clinical study cohort of more than 1,000 patients.
Ron Andrews, chief executive officer of Clarient, said: “Pulmotype provides pathologists with a valuable new tool to help their oncologist clients understand which patients are eligible for a number of new therapies now available for the treatment of NSCLC. Its ability to accurately sub-classify lung cancer will enable physicians to make more informed and provide effective therapy decisions. We have built a strong breast cancer franchise and established Clarient as the ‘go-to’ laboratory for complex breast cancer testing.”
Ken Bloom, chief medical officer of Clarient, said: “Given the types of therapies on the market, the kind of information generated from a panel like Pulmotype can make a big difference in how a patient is treated. The correct pathology assessment is essential for therapeutic decision making, given the powerful new drugs currently on the market to treat lung cancer, such as Avastin and Alimta.”