SAN DIEGO, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Data to be presented in
a poster at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of
Clinical Oncology (ASCO) taking place in Chicago, Illinois June 3-7
by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer
Center and Biocept, Inc. show that a laboratory test developed by
Biocept, Inc. for the evaluation of HER2 status of Circulating
Tumor Cells (CTCs) and Disseminated Tumor Cells (DTCs) can provide
potentially valuable information to physicians treating breast
cancer patients, different from that obtained through analysis of
surgical resections.
The study involved 50 breast cancer patients from The University
of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, most with early stage operable
disease, from whom tumor tissue, bone marrow and blood samples were
obtained. DTCs and CTCs isolated from the bone marrow and
blood samples with Biocept’s OncoCEE™ technology,
respectively, were tested for Human Epidermal growth factor
Receptor-2 (HER2) by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and
the results compared. Typically, 20-25% of breast cancer
patients are determined to be HER2 positive, by FISH or
immunohistochemistry (IHC).
“This research builds on collaborative work between MD Anderson
and Biocept focused on exploring the utility of testing CTCs and
DTCs in conjunction with tumor tissue from surgical biopsies of
breast cancer patients for biomarkers like HER2,” said
Anthony Lucci, MD., Professor, Department of Surgical Oncology,
Division of Surgery at MD Anderson. “We found in a number of
cases discordance of HER2 status between primary tumors and CTCs or
DTCs. Specifically, HER2 positive CTCs and DTCs were found in
a significant number of patients with HER2 negative primary tumors.
Since HER2 was analyzed by FISH, we feel the testing is rigorous.
This pilot study supports the need for
‘/>”/>
