Two-Gene Ratio Indicates Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk

Two novel genes identify patients at higher risk for early breast cancer recurrence.

An 852-patient retrospective study has confirmed that the two-gene ratio of HOXB13/IL17BR (H/I) is an independent prognostic marker for risk of recurrence in tamoxifen-treated, estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+), and lymph-node-negative patients. The study results extend the prognostic utility of the H/I ratio to untreated patients. Therefore, the H/I ratio is a strong independent prognostic marker in patients with or without anti-hormonal treatment.

The study was published in the October 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. AviaraDx, Inc. (Carlsbad, CA, USA), conducted the study in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX, USA). The results of the study will help doctors and estrogen-receptor-positive (ER+), node-negative breast cancer patients make more informed decisions about how to manage this complex disease.

"The study with Baylor College of Medicine is the third in a series of clinical studies conducted to validate the clinical utility of the H/I ratio as a very significant prognostic biomarker in ER+ breast cancer patients,” said Antonius Schuh, CEO of AviaraDx. "We are excited about the rapidly growing body of evidence supporting the clinical utility of HOXB13 and IL17BR in the prediction of breast cancer recurrence risk and expect additional clinical data to be published in the near future.”

The two biomarkers serve as the foundation of the AviaraDx breast cancer profiling (BCP) technology. In April 2006, a collaborative study with Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA), showing significant clinical utility of H/I in patients treated with tamoxifen, was published in Clinical Cancer Research. AviaraDx is focused on developing and commercializing molecular diagnostic technologies for personalized medicine in cancer treatment. The company is targeting the oncology market with three molecular cancer profiling technologies including BCP, molecular cancer identification (MCID), and drug response profiling (DRP).



Related Links:
AviaraDx
Baylor College of Medicine
Mayo Clinic