The VeriStrat proteomic test, when used to help guide treatment of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, improves overall survival and decreases medical costs in the U.S. payer system, said a study published recently in the journal Lung Cancer.
“Systems of care are gearing up for bundled payment models in oncology. With the evolving changes in payment incentives, this state-of-the-art test analysis was designed to address the questions that administrators have to be aligned with new incentives,” John Hornberger, a clinical investigator and study co-author, said in a statement.
The study, an extended analysis of the phase three, prospective, VeriStrat-stratified PROSE trial, assessed the outcome and economic implications of the use of a clinically validated serum proteomic test to guide treatment decisions in NSCLC. By shifting patients away from ineffective therapy, the use of VeriStrat resulted in improvement in overall survival as well as a total lifetime direct medical cost reduction of $135 per patient (Hornberg J, et al. Lung Cancer. Epub ahead of print March 14, 2015. doi:10.1016/j.lungcan.2015.03.006).
Based on the test results from the VeriStrat proteomic test, treatment recommendations for 27.3 percent of the patient population changed from erlotinib to chemotherapy, resulting in cut in using ineffective therapy. The five-year survival of advanced NSCLC patients is between one and five percent, the implication of which is an average increase in overall survival per patient of slightly more than one month. VeriStrat is made by Boulder, Colo.-based Biodesix.
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