Everist Genomics Announces External Validation of OncoDefender™-CRC Test for Predicting Recurrence Risk for Stage I and II Colorectal Cancer Patients

Everist Genomics, a prognostics company focused on developing gene-based molecular assays for the prediction of cancer recurrence, today announced the positive results of the first external validation study of its OncoDefender-CRC colorectal cancer recurrence test.  The study is being conducted by Mayo Validation Support Services, and is being coordinated with investigators and resources from all three Mayo Clinic sites. The study, which will be presented in a poster presentation on Saturday at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's 2011 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium (ASCO-GI) in San Francisco, demonstrates that the OncoDefender-CRC assay can accurately predict individual recurrence risk in stage I and II colorectal cancer patients.

"One of the most pressing challenges for physicians who treat colorectal cancer is the early identification of patients who are at risk of recurrence and could potentially benefit from prophylactic post-surgical chemotherapy," said Lisa A. Boardman, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and principal study investigator. The study's objective is to develop an effective tool to guide treatment decisions and for identifying those patients most likely to benefit from adjuvant therapy following surgical resection of tumor tissue."