Data Published at ASCO Find Correlation Between ChemoFx(R) Assay and Significantly...

Data Published at ASCO Find Correlation Between ChemoFx(R) Assay and
Significantly Improved Overall Survival in Patients With Ovarian Cancer
Analysis Reveals Overall Survival Could be Extended if Patients Receive the
Most Effective Treatment Identified by ChemoFx

CHICAGO, May 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Precision Therapeutics Inc. announced
today that the ChemoFx(R) Assay, a cell-based test that examines the response
of a specific patient's tumor to various chemotherapies, correlates with
significantly longer overall survival (OS) in patients with primary ovarian
cancer. Patients who received a treatment determined by ChemoFx to lead to
the best tumor response had an overall survival 1.4 times longer than those
receiving a treatment shown by ChemoFx to be non-responsive.
Despite the fact that all patients had the same type of tumor, 88 percent
of patients exhibited varying degrees of response to different agents when
evaluated by the cell-based test. The analysis also found that nearly
two-thirds of patients' tumors were more responsive to a treatment identified
by ChemoFx, than to the treatment they actually received. Based on these
results, a mathematical model was created to estimate survival had patients
been treated with a drug that ChemoFx identified as more likely to result in a
greater tumor response. The analysis found that median OS could be extended
as much as 23 to 38 months.
"These overall survival data demonstrate that the responsiveness to
treatment established by this sensitivity assay in the laboratory setting, may
in fact translate into meaningful clinical outcomes for patients," said Thomas
J. Herzog, MD, director of gynecologic oncology at the Columbia University
Medical Center and lead investigator of the study. "If these results are
confirmed in current ongoing trials, this will be a significant step towards
establishing individualized treatment strategies for patients who will require
chemotherapy."
About the Study
Patients analyzed in the study had stage II-IV primary epithelial ovarian
cancer that was tested by ChemoFx between 1997 and 2003, and received at least
one course of chemotherapy. The study evaluated differences in OS between
patients who received treatment that was deemed responsive,
intermediate-responsive or non-responsive based on ChemoFx test results.
Of the 206 patients analyzed:
-- Median OS of Assay non-responsive patients was 39.2 months
-- Median OS of Assay intermediate-responsive patients was 62.5 months
-- Median OS of Assay responsive patients was 80.4 months

When accounting for cancer stage and debulking -- the reduction of tumor
size due to surgery or radiation treatment -- overall survival was
significantly associated with the ChemoFx Assay and the cancer stage. In the
model simulating improved survival if patients were treated with a therapy
that caused a greater tumor response, median OS of patients treated with an
Assay non-responsive drug could be improved from 39.2 to 62.5 months and
median OS of patients treated with an Assay intermediate-responsive drug could
be improved from 62.5 to 101.3 months.
"People with cancer often require additional treatment after receiving the
standard of care chemotherapy. ChemoFx Assay can provide valuable information
that could spare the patient from unnecessary toxicity associated with a
potentially ineffective treatment," said Sean McDonald, CEO Precision
Therapeutics. "The goal of ChemoFx is to empower patients and physicians with
additional diagnostic information to help determine the most appropriate
course of therapy for each individual patient."
This retrospective, multi-center analysis is a published abstract at the
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in Chicago and is
available at www.asco.org.
About ChemoFx(R)
ChemoFx is a decision support tool that measures a specific patient's
tumor response to various types, combinations and doses of chemotherapy
selected by the patient's physician. The laboratory test examines how many
cancer cells are killed after exposure to treatment, using a patient's living
cancer cells that have been removed during a biopsy, aspiration or surgical
procedure. ChemoFx can be used in primary, recurrent, and metastatic tumors.
ChemoFx can be tested in all solid tumor types, with ovarian and breast
tumors being primarily tested. Other solid tumors most commonly tested include
endometrial, colorectal, genitourinary, head and neck, lung, brain, pancreas,
hepato-biliary.
About Precision Therapeutics
Precision Therapeutics is an oncology services company dedicated to the
individualization of cancer therapy. Precision Therapeutics is a leader in the
development and delivery of personalized treatment support tools that assist
physicians and benefit cancer patients. For more information visit
www.precisiontherapeutics.com, call 800-547-6165 or email info@ptilabs.com.
SOURCE Precision Therapeutics Inc.

Heather Rockwell, Precision Therapeutics Inc., +1-412-432-1500 ext. 1589,
hrockwell@ptilabs.com; or Nancie Steinberg, Chamberlain Healthcare Public
Relations, +1-212-884-0667, nsteinberg@chamberlainpr.com