VolitionRx Limited (NYSEAMERICAN:VNRX) announced Thursday that the National Taiwan University Hospital presented data Thursday on its Nu.Q assay performance at the World Conference on Lung Cancer.
In a statement, the company said the poster presentation given by the hospital’s Dr Tung-Ming Tsai will be featured in the WCLC's Screening and Early Detection session and is entitled "Circulating Nucleosomes in Lung Cancer Diagnosis following Low-Dose Computed Tomography."
Volition said the key message from the presentation at the virtual conference in Singapore is that, based on an interim analysis of a subset of subjects in an ongoing study, Nu.Q assays could help identify non-cancerous nodules following a scan -- thereby reducing unnecessary biopsies by as much as 32%.
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"The results of this interim analysis of a subset of our 1,200-subject study are very promising,” said Professor Chen Jin-Shing, principal Investigator of the study.
“Low-Dose Computed tomography (LDCT) is the widely accepted standard for screening of individuals at high risk of lung cancer. However, LDCT has several limitations, including poor specificity (high false positives). Results from this study suggest that Nucleosomes and Histone PTMs may discriminate well between non-cancerous benign nodules versus early-stage lung cancer (stages 0, I and II) in non-familial lung cancer history patients.”
He added: “The ability to distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous nodules could reduce both unnecessary biopsies and the frequency of radiation exposure from repeated LDCT scanning. To accomplish this result through a non-invasive blood test would be an important step forward in lung cancer screening. We look forward to completing the study and publishing our findings in the coming months."
Dr Jasmine Kway, CEO of Singapore Volition, noted that lung cancer remains the deadliest of all cancers and there is a high unmet clinical need for improved diagnosis.
“We are hopeful that our Nu.Q assays can help identify non-cancerous nodules following a scan,” Dr Kway said. “We are delighted that our world-renowned collaborators are presenting this data at such a prestigious conference and share our collaborator's excitement to complete this study and share the findings at scientific conferences later this year."
The large-scale lung cancer study is being conducted at the National Taiwan University Hospital and includes 1,200 subjects receiving LDCT scans, including 1,000 with lung cancer. Collection commenced in the summer of 2019 and will be completed in May 2021. This interim analysis is based on a subset of 220 subjects.
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