Companion Diagnostics and Biomarkers

Personalized Medicine and Biomarkers in Cancer

Biomarkers are evaluable patient characteristics that serve as indicators of normal and pathogenic biologic processes and treatment response.^1,2 Prognostic biomarkers estimate probable outcomes, regardless of therapy.² Predictive biomarkers are used to predict response to specific therapies (e.g., targeted therapies).^2-3

Integrating biomarkers into a personalized medicine approach may aid in identifying patients who are more likely to experience a clinical response from a specific treatment.^1,2

Images reproduced with permission from Vermeij J, et al. BMC Cancer. 2008;8:3. BMC CANCER Copyright 2012 by BIOMED CENTRAL LTD.

Met as a Potential Biomarker in Cancer

Met as a biomarker may have prognostic value in multiple tumor types.^1,3-10 Met overexpression, detected by IHC or immunoblot, and increased MET gene copy number, detected by FISH, have been observed in multiple tumor types and correlated with poor prognosis in many cancers.^3-10

IHC, immunohistochemistry; FISH, fluorescent in situ hybridization; NSCLC, non–small cell lung cancer; HCC, hepatocellular carcinoma.

References:

1.

Ferté C, et al. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2010;7(7):367-380. PMID: 20551944

2.

Mok T, Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2011;8(11):661-668. PMID: 21862980

3.

Cheng H, Curr Onc. 2010;12:335-348. PMID: 20623207

4.

http://vai.org/met/.

5.

Cappuzzo F, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2009;27(10):1667-1674. PMID: 19255323

6.

Christensen J, et al. Cancer Lett. 2005;225(1):1-26. PMID: 15922853

7.

Masuya D, et al. Br J Cancer. 2004;90(8):1555-1562. PMID: 15083185

8.

Gastaldi F, et al. Breast Cancer Res. 2010;12(4): PMID: 20804567

9.

Whittaker S, et al. Oncogene. 2010;29:4989-5005. PMID: 20639898

10.

Abounader R, Laterra J. Neuro Oncol. 2005;7(4):436-451. PMID: 1871724