Theranostic Profiling of Circulating Tumor Cells
Patients diagnosed with some types of cancers may be advised additional testing of tumor tissue sample to determine the status of biomarkers including ER, PR, HER2 (ERBB2), EGFR and PDL1. The positive status of these biomarkers forms the basis for selection of targeted anticancer agents which are known to be more effective against cancer.
About Pinaka
Pinaka™ is an advanced non-invasive blood test that provides therapeutically relevant information via a safe, simple, and quick blood draw. Pinaka™ evaluates blood samples to detect ‘Circulating Tumor Cells’ (CTCs), which are cancer cells that escape from the tumor and enter the bloodstream. Pinaka™ enriches these CTCs from the blood sample and confirms their identity via a process called ‘Immunocytochemistry’ (ICC). Pinaka also determines the status of the above biomarkers on CTCs either via ICC or by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH).
What
A prescription blood test to identify cancer patients who may potentially benefit from the administration of certain types of anti-cancer treatments.
How
Patients undergo a simple blood draw, from which circulating tumor cells are enriched and evaluated for these biomarkers.
For whom
Patients who have been diagnosed with certain types of cancers, for whom the NCCN guidelines recommend evaluation of ER, PR, HER2, EGFR, or PDL1 status on tumor tissue to determine whether the patient may benefit from administration of respective targeted anti-cancer treatments.
Why
Evaluation of these biomarkers may not be possible on tumor tissue due to sample insufficiency or inability to obtain samples. False negatives may arise due to low tumor content or tumor heterogeneity. Pinaka™ is a safe and viable option to evaluate the status of these biomarkers in cases where a tissue-based biomarker assessment has been inconclusive or is not possible.
Reliable Technology
Pinaka™ evaluates the status of the above biomarkers on CTCs, which are known to be present (and detected ubiquitously) in the indicated cancer types, irrespective of age, gender, disease stage, grade of disease, or treatment status. Since CTCs are essentially tumor cells, their analysis is comparable to analysis of tumor tissues. Our own acclaimed clinical studies (as well as other prior studies) have shown that CTC-based determination of the above biomarkers has high concordance with tumor tissue-based determinations.
Advantages
The technology of Pinaka™ is based on the ubiquity of CTCs and the highly efficient CTC detection process. This technology has a low false negative rate (high ‘sensitivity’) as well as a low false positive rate (high ‘specificity’). These factors translate into a safe blood test for accurate and reliable determination of the status of the above biomarkers.
- Non-invasive, safe, convenient, and patient-friendly
- A viable alternative where tumor tissue-based biomarker analysis is unavailable or has been inconclusive
- No need for hospitalization/visit to an advanced healthcare facility
- No risks of pain, bleeding, or infection
- Suitable for use at any stage of the clinical management pathway
- Suitable for radiologically undetectable tumors
- Not prone to intra and inter-tumoral heterogeneity
For more information, please visit https://pinaka360.com/technology/
Certifications/accreditations of Datar Cancer Genetics
