Combination of Gene Expression Test and Antigen Status Offers Improved Prognostic Information in Uveal Melanoma
Source: ASCO Daily News, August 2024
Key Points:
- The addition of RNA expression of the cancer-testis antigen PRAME (preferentially expressed antigen in melanoma) to a 15-gene expression profile (15-GEP) offered significantly improved and more precise prognostic information over the 15-GEP alone.
- Combining the 2 tests showed clear differences between 4 groups in the prognostic biomarker study: patients in the class 2/PRAME-positive category fared worst, with a greatly increased risk of metastasis when compared with patients in the class 1/PRAME-negative category.
- The 15-GEP/PRAME test is performed in a consistent manner, and therefore, results can be compared over time for all patients anywhere in the world.
The combination of a 15-GEP and RNA expression of the cancer-testis antigen PRAME offered significantly improved prognostic information over the 15-GEP alone and other clinical variables for patients with uveal melanoma, according to results of the largest prospective prognostic biomarker study to date in this setting. The authors say the results are practice changing.
“The addition of PRAME to the 15-GEP meets an unmet need by providing more precise prognostic information and identifying the subset of patients with class 1 tumors that are at higher risk than previously realized,” said J. William Harbour, MD, of the UT Southwestern Medical Center, who led the Collaborative Ocular Oncology Group Study No. 2 (COOG2) published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.1 “This information allows more precise surveillance planning and enrichment for high-risk patients in adjuvant clinical trials.”