Lung Cancer Study Uses the ANGLE Parsortix System

April 12, 2019

Lung Cancer Study: ANGLE Parsortix System, a world-leading liquid biopsy company, is pleased to announce that a leading customer has established a multi-centre study to investigate biomarkers on circulating tumor cells (CTCs), using ANGLE’s Parsortix system, which may give advance warning of relapse in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Lung Cancer Study is being conducted by the Hellenic Oncology Research Group (“Hellenic”) lead by the Principal Investigators, Associate Professor Athanasios Kotsakis and Professor Vassilis Georgoulias of the IASO General Hospital in Athens, Greece and is investigating both ctDNA (circulating tumor DNA, fragments of dead cancer cells) and CTCs.  The CTC evaluation is being undertaken by the University of Athens lead by Professor Evi Lianidou.  Parsortix is the only CTC system being used in the study.

Lung cancer has the highest incidence and mortality rate of all cancers (World Cancer Factsheet 2018: 2.1 million new cancer cases and 1.8 million deaths per annum).  Even where the cancer is detected early, 45% of all NSCLC patients will suffer disease recurrence within 8 to 18 months of surgery.  Where the cancer is detected late, the situation is far worse.  Advance warning of potential cancer relapse in NSCLC has the potential to improve patient outcomes by allowing targeted treatment earlier than would otherwise happen. Solid tissue biopsies are impractical on the repeat basis needed for follow-up monitoring.  Where they are possible, the tissue biopsy is expensive, and carries significant risk: up to 24% cause serious complications and up to 1% result in death.

The Hellenic study involves 50 operable early stage NSCLC patients having liquid biopsy blood tests prior to surgery, one month after surgery and then every three to six months until relapse.  The study is scheduled to complete in December 2021.  CTCs harvested from patient blood using the Parsortix system will be analysed using qRT-PCR and FISH to identify tumor clonal evolution with the intention of identifying both predictors of relapse and indications of suitable treatment.

Prof Evi Lianidou, Head of the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory focused on Liquid Biopsy, University of Athens, commented: “Following our successful work in head and neck cancer with ANGLE’s Parsortix system, we are delighted to have initiated this important longitudinal study in non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).  There is a major unmet medical need in NSCLC to predict early relapse and identify targeted therapies for personalised care.  We are excited about the potential for analysis of CTCs harvested by the Parsortix system to make a real difference for these patients.”

ANGLE Founder and Chief Executive, Andrew Newland, commented: “This is another example of ANGLE’s product based leveraged R&D approach delivering key benefits with a major study, which is being developed, executed and funded by a leading customer.  The high incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer create a pressing need for repeat biopsies to allow personalised medicine and we hope that our Parsortix liquid biopsy system can play a key role in delivering this to the benefit of patients, opening new markets for ANGLE.”