DecisionDx-SCC identified cSCC tumors likely to metastasize in patients deemed low risk by traditional staging.

Castle Biosciences, Inc.’s DecisionDx-SCC test can identify tumors likely to metastasize in patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma deemed low risk by traditional staging, according to research presented at the the 2023 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference for PAs & NPs.

DecisionDx-SCC is a 40-gene expression profile test that uses an individual patient’s tumor biology to predict individual risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma metastasis for patients with one or more risk factors. 

“Traditional staging, which includes solely tumor characteristics, only tells part of the story and leaves out a very critical piece of the plot, the biology of an individual patient’s tumor, which can provide greater insight into each patient’s unique metastatic propensity,” says Ally-Khan Somani, M.D., Ph.D., board-certified dermatologist, Mohs micrographic surgeon and director of Dermatologic Surgery & Cutaneous Oncology Division at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, in a news release.  “By estimating a cSCC patient’s personal risk of metastasis, the DecisionDx-SCC test has proven to elevate the narrative, which can lead to more informed, pertinent risk-aligned treatment decisions that can help improve outcomes.”

Traditional staging comprised patients with T1 tumors under the American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition (AJCC8) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) staging systems). 

In the study, the DecisionDx-SCC test was able to significantly stratify three-year metastasis free survival rates with T1 tumors under the American Joint Committee on Cancer Eighth Edition (AJCC8) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) staging systems. Approximately 70% of the AJCC8- and BWH-staged T1 tumors that metastasized were identified as being biologically high-risk by the DecisionDx-SCC test. 

The research poster will also appear in SKIN, The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine.

DecisionDx-SCC is a 40-gene expression profile test that uses an individual patient’s tumor biology to predict individual risk of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma metastasis for patients with one or more risk factors. The test result, in which patients are stratified into a Class 1 (low), Class 2A (moderate) or Class 2B (high) risk category, predicts individual metastatic risk to inform risk-appropriate management.