NEW YORK, May 28, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- COTA Inc. (Cancer Outcomes Tracking and Analysis) and Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) recently presented results of a study which demonstrated that proper use of a genomic test in a real world setting can avoid unnecessary chemotherapy and related side effects for many women, and reduce the overall system costs of chemotherapy, supportive drugs and related care.
The study titled "Characterization of Early Stage Breast Cancer Patient Management in a Practice Setting with 21-Gene Breast Cancer Assay" was presented at the 2015 ISPOR (International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research) meetings. The study's objective was to compare, using practice management data, chemotherapy and supportive drug usage in a practice setting among patients who did or didn't receive the genomic assay. "These kinds of studies are critical if we are going to have a meaningful impact on cancer care," said Dr. Andrew Pecora, founder of COTA. He continued, "We need to understand what choices cancer care professionals are making and what choices they could be making for better outcomes, and then find out how to bridge that gap."
The Oncotype DX®21-gene breast cancer assay, commercially available since 2004, provides patients with an individualized Recurrence Score® result and predicts the 10-year risk of distant recurrence and the likelihood of chemotherapy benefit in women with ER-positive, HER2-negative, early-stage invasive breast cancer (ESBC). Patients with low Recurrence Score results have low risk of recurrence and likelihood of chemotherapy benefit – thus, patients often choose a treatment plan without chemotherapy. Multiple clinical utility and health economic studies have consistently shown that Oncotype DX provides actionable information to personalize treatment based on underlying tumor biology, resulting in a decrease in chemotherapy recommendations and utilization and overall savings of healthcare resources. In addition to the direct costs of chemotherapy, management of adverse side effects are an additional expense for patients who receive chemotherapy.
The results of the study presented at ISPOR show that physicians are selective in using the 21-gene assay. Cancer care physicians favored testing patients who were older, Caucasian, those with larger tumors, and those who had stage I tumors. Additionally tested patients were less likely to receive chemotherapy (20% vs. 56%) and other supportive therapies, with the decision to use chemotherapy generally guided by the Recurrence Score result. The majority of node-positive patients in this series had low Recurrence Score results (69%) and avoided chemotherapy, underscoring the utility of the assay in these patients.
"The bottom line," says Eric Schultz, Chief Executive Officer of COTA, "is that studies evaluating real world data of cancer treatment patterns help us understand what is being done and whether there are areas in which cancer care and patient outcomes can be improved while reducing unnecessary costs."
View the study at http://oncota.com/media.html
About COTA, Inc.
Developed by world-leading oncologists COTA, Inc., has developed the unique CNA (COTA Nodal Address) System to precisely classify cancer patients into meaningful clinical and prognostic cohorts. Using this sorting technique, COTA is able to account for the biologic variances of cancer, thus permitting more in-depth analyses of treatment variances. This enables doctors and health plans to improve patient care and move from fee-for-service to value-based reimbursement models. COTA offers providers, patients and payers with the actionable, real-time insights needed to improve clinical outcomes, while reducing the costs. Based in New York City, the Company's mission is to enable optimal care for every cancer patient. To learn more about COTA, call (866) 648-3833 or visit www.oncota.com
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