Laboratory Test May Predict Effectiveness of ERBITUX(R) for Individual Colorectal Cance...( Data Presented Today at American Soci...)

Data Presented Today at American Society of Clinical Oncology

ORLANDO, Fla., June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Precision Therapeutics, Inc. today presented data demonstrating the use of ChemoFX(R), a chemosensitivity assay, to predict the effectiveness of cetuximab (ERBITUX(R)) on the colorectal cancer cells of individual patients. Results from the study show that of the 54 primary colorectal cultures tested, eight percent were responsive to cetuximab, a result that is consistent with the reported clinical response rate for cetuximab in colorectal carcinoma patients (11 percent). A predictive assay such as this could give physicians the edge they need to determine if cetuximab is appropriate for a patient before administering the biologic. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men and women in the United States.

"We are very pleased with the results of this study and the potential ChemoFX has to help physicians find the right treatment, the first time, for their patients," said Sean McDonald, President and CEO, Precision Therapeutics, "Colorectal cancer can be devastating and we hope to give patients and physicians the edge they need to effectively treat this disease."

Cetuximab is FDA-approved to treat head and neck cancer and colorectal carcinomas. Due to the low population response rate to cetuximab, a biomarker that can identify patients with an increased likelihood for response would be of great clinical utility. ChemoFx(R) is a test that measures an individual cancer patient's probable tumor response to various chemotherapeutic and biologic agents -- providing both sensitivity and resistance information. As such, ChemoFx(R) provides valuable insights that can help guide physicians' treatment decisions and give both physicians and patients an edge against cancer.

"One in twenty people in the United States will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their
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