Castle Biosciences announces new data on DecisionDx-UM, PRAME

Castle Biosciences (CSTL) announced new data from the largest prospective, multicenter study to date comparing next-generation sequencing-based gene mutation analysis with the combination of DecisionDx-UM and Preferentially Expressed Antigen in Melanoma, PRAME, gene expression for predicting outcomes in patients with uveal melanoma. The study, titled “Early Genetic Evolution of Driver Mutations in Uveal Melanoma,” was conducted by the Collaborative Ocular Oncology Group and recently published in Nature Communications. Key findings of the study include: DecisionDx-UM + PRAME, when used together, provide superior predictions of both metastasis-free survival and overall survival when compared to individual gene mutation analysis using NGS. While the BAP1, SF3B1 and EIF1AX gene mutations were individually associated with high, medium and low metastatic risk, their ability to predict both MFS and OS became non-significant and redundant when DecisionDx-UM + PRAME were included in multivariate analysis. The study authors attribute the superior performance of DecisionDx-UM + PRAME to DecisionDx-UM’s ability to measure gene activity from both tumor cells and surrounding immune cells, which provides a more comprehensive view of the tumor microenvironment. Conversely, targeted NGS analyzes DNA mutations in tumor cells alone. By capturing this broader biological context, DecisionDx-UM is designed to offer a more accurate assessment of a tumor’s potential to metastasize.