Girish Putcha, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and clinical laboratory director, Freenome, discusses the utility of blood-based assays in colorectal cancer (CRC).

The AI EMERGE trial (NCT03688906) compared mutation detection based on circulating tumor (ct)DNA and a carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-based classifier and showed that a multiomic blood-based screening assay had higher sensitivity and specificity versus singular tumor-based assays in detecting early-stage colorectal cancer, says Putcha.

The sensitivity of the blood-based test was about 90% versus 47% with the ctDNA-based assay, and the specificity was 100% versus 75%, respectively. Furthermore, the sensitivity for the blood-based test was 91% compared to 31% with the CEA-based assay with a specificity of 94% for both assays. These results show that the multiomic approach holds promise for detecting disease in patients with early-stage CRC, concludes Putcha.

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Girish Putcha, MD, PhD, discusses the utility of blood-based assays in colorectal cancer.

Dr. Putcha on the Utility of Blood-Based Assays in CRC

Girish Putcha, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and clinical laboratory director, Freenome, discusses the results of the the AI EMERGE trial (NCT03688906) in colorectal cancer (CRC).

A blood-based screening assay was found to have a 94% sensitivity and specificity rate in screening for stage I/II CRC, says Putcha. Among individuals with stage III/IV CRC, the sensitivity rate was 91% and the specificity rate was 94%. The performance of the assay was similar in distal and proximal lesions, as well as in comparison with a lead-in fecal immunochemical (FIT)-based test.

Investigators also compared patients’ blood samples with stool samples. Only 52% of individuals who provided a blood sample also gave a stool sample for testing, which highlights some of the challenges with stool-based testing and patient willingness to undergo such testing, says Putcha. According to the matched samples, the blood-based assay had better sensitivity versus FIT testing at 100% versus 67%, respectively, at a specificity of 96%.

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Girish Putcha, MD, PhD, discusses the results of the AI EMERGE trial (NCT03688906) in colorectal cancer.

Dr. Putcha on the Results of the AI EMERGE Trial in CRC

Girish Putcha, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and clinical laboratory director, Freenome, discusses blood-based detection of early-stage colorectal cancer (CRC) using multiomics and machine learning.

Asymptomatic patients are recommended to undergo routine screening for CRC. However, current screening modalities pose several challenges, which have led to suboptimal screening rates. To overcome the barriers of current screening methods, investigators developed a noninvasive, blood-based screening test with high sensitivity and specificity, says Putcha.

The screening test is unique in that it accounts for tumor-derived and nontumor-derived immune signals, which could lead to better assessment of the biological heterogeneity of the disease and provide wider utility in early-stage and advanced CRC, concludes Putcha.

Dr. Putcha on Blood-Based Detection of Early-Stage CRC

Girish Putcha, MD, PhD, chief medical officer and clinical laboratory director, Freenome, discusses the use of blood-based screening assays in colorectal cancer (CRC).

The AI-EMERGE study (NCT03688906) utilized a blood-based screening test for early detection of CRC. The prospective, multicenter study enrolled a cohort of 43 asymptomatic patients with average risk and a cohort of 548 patients who served as the study control. The study sought to validate another method of screening in CRC.

The results showed high sensitivity and high specificity with the blood-based test in early-stage and late-stage CRC. These results suggest that the blood-based test, which accounted for tumor-derived and nontumor derived signals, could be a viable strategy for CRC screening in the future, concludes Putcha.

Girish Putcha, MD, PhD, discusses the use of blood-based screening assays in colorectal cancer (CRC). 
 

Girish Putcha, MD, PhD

Articles

Dr. Putcha on the Utility of Blood-Based Assays in CRC

Dr. Putcha on the Results of the AI EMERGE Trial in CRC

Dr. Putcha on Blood-Based Detection of Early-Stage CRC

Dr. Putcha on the Use of Blood-Based Screening Assays in CRC