IRVING, Texas, March 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Caris Life
Sciences® today announced the presentation of important study data
showing the presence of PD-1 and PD-L1 expressing cells in 1,599
gynecologic cancer samples. Using Caris Molecular Intelligence®,
the company's panomic comprehensive tumor profiling service,
researchers identified expression of programmed cell death
protein-1 (PD-1) in all gynecologic cancers independent of
histology while its ligand (PD-L1) expression was variable across
malignancies and histologies. This data, along with two separate
studies utilizing Caris Molecular Intelligence in the
identification of druggable biomarkers in cervical cancers, were
presented today during Poster Session B, at the Society of
Gynecologic Oncology 2015 Annual Meeting on Women's Cancers in
Chicago, Ill.
In the presentation led by Thomas
Herzog, M.D., University of
Cincinnati, titled "PD-1, PD-L1 expression in 1,599
gynecological malignancies – implications for immunotherapy"
(abstract #509), researchers examined the presence PD-1 and PD-L1
in 1,599 cases of any gynecologic cancer. The results showed that
PD-1/PD-L1 were most often co-expressed in endometrial stromal
sarcomas and endometrioid endometrial cancer, while lower
expression rates were detected in human papilloma virus
(HPV)-associated cancers of the lower gynecologic tract.
"Caris Molecular Intelligence has one of the largest commercial
databases and experience testing for PD-1 and PD-L1 expression,
with more than 9,000 patients profiled to date," commented
Sandeep K. Reddy, M.D., Chief
Medical Officer at Caris Life Sciences. "These study results point
to inhibition of PD-1 and PD-L1 as a potentially effective strategy
in endometrioid endometrial cancer and supports the clinical
utility of Caris Molecular Intelligence as a tool to help inform
personalized treatment selection."
The overall PD-1 and PD-L1 expression rates were 67.9% and
19.6%, respectively, and the highest co-expression rates of PD-1
and PD-L1 were identified in sex-cord/stromal tumors and
endometrial cancer. Ovarian sarcomas also had high co-expression.
Lower rates were identified in HPV-associated cancers of the lower
genital tract (e.g. cervical, vaginal and vulvar cancer). There
were few statistically significant differences between histologic
subtypes of endometrial and ovarian cancers. However, endometrioid
endometrial carcinoma had a significantly higher rate of PD-1/PD-L1
expression compared with endometrioid ovarian carcinoma.
"Recent evidence has shown that PD-1/PD-L1-targeted
immunotherapies improve outcomes in solid tumors and research
suggests that we can identify patients who may benefit from
immunotherapies using PD-L1 levels," noted Dr. Herzog. "While
further research is needed, these results based on tumor profiling
show that patients with these difficult cancers may benefit from
targeted immunotherapy."
Cervical Cancer Tumor Profiling Offer Theranostic Biomarkers
and Potential Pathways Toward More Personalized Treatment
In a second poster titled "Microarray analysis of vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-dependent angiogenic biomarkers in
squamous cell carcinoma (SCCA) and adenocarcinoma (AC) of the
cervix" (abstract #3886), researchers analyzed 244 cervical cancer
samples using Caris Molecular Intelligence based on recent data
that demonstrated the efficacy of bevacizumab in patients with
advanced cervical cancer. The study results, while retrospective,
show that both SCCA and AC of the cervix display overexpression of
biomarkers of the VEGF-dependent pathway of tumor angiogenesis,
suggesting that bevacizumab is likely to inhibit angiogenesis in
cases of SCCA or AC of the cervix and deserves further study.
A third poster titled "Paving the Road to Personalized Medicine
in Cervical Cancer: Theranostic Biomarker Evaluation in a
592-Specimen Library" (abstract #3911), researchers used Caris
Molecular Intelligence to profile a total of 592 cervical cancer
cases to identify biomarkers that are known therapy targets. The
majority of patients had metastatic disease (62%) and most were
squamous cell carcinoma (51%) and adenocarcinoma (32%) of the
cervix. Immunohistochemistry and gene amplification identified low
ERCC1 (64%), low TUBB3 (74%) and high TOPO1 (51%) as targets for
platinum-based therapies, taxanes, and topotecan, respectively.
Mutational analysis revealed high mutation rates in PIK3CA, BRCA2,
and KRAS, which suggest that targeted agents, including PIK3CA
inhibitors, mTOR inhibitors, PARP inhibitors, and MEK inhibitors
may be suitable for further research. This data highlights the
utility of tumor profiling in women with cervical cancer in that
theranostic biomarkers may help guide therapy in clinical trials of
women whose cancer have progressed and have few treatment
options.
About Caris Life Sciences® and Caris Molecular
Intelligence®
Caris Life Sciences® is a leading
biotechnology company focused on fulfilling the promise of
precision medicine through quality and innovation. Caris Molecular
Intelligence®, one of the industry's leading tumor profiling
services with more than 70,000 patients profiled, provides
oncologists with the most potentially clinically actionable
treatment options available to personalize cancer care today. Using
a variety of advanced profiling technologies to assess relevant
biological changes in each patient's tumor, Caris Molecular
Intelligence connects biomarker data generated from a tumor with
biomarker-drug associations supported by evidence in the relevant
clinical literature. The company is also developing Carisome® TOP™
technology, a revolutionary and proprietary blood-based profiling
platform for diagnosis, prognosis, and theranosis of cancer and
other complex diseases. Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris Life Sciences offers
services throughout Europe, the
U.S., Australia and other
international markets. To learn more, please visit
www.CarisLifeSciences.com.
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SOURCE Caris Life Sciences