
Cancer Tests
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death globally and is by far the leading cause of cancer death in the US, accounting for about one in five of all cancer deaths. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. While lung cancer rates are declining in the US, 136,084 people died from lung cancer in 2020 (CDC).
Significant advancements have been made in early diagnosis of other common cancers, but early diagnosis of lung cancer remains a challenge. It is the only major cancer without a routine screening exam. As a result, most patients with lung cancer are diagnosed at late stages, contributing to the high mortality rate.
The standard for lung cancer diagnosis is low-dose CT, LDCT. However, some nodules, known as indeterminate pulmonary nodules require a biopsy for confirmation. Approximately 2.5 million Americans are found to have indeterminate pulmonary nodules each year. Patients with indeterminate pulmonary nodules have the option to wait and be rescreened in one year knowing that they may have cancer or get a biopsy. There is a huge unmet need for a non-invasive method for confirming whether an indeterminate pulmonary nodule is malignant or benign. Orbit Genomics’ first product, OrbiSeq™-L, will aid to diagnosis for patients with indeterminate pulmonary nodules.
There are 18-20 million Americans who are considered high-risk for lung cancer based on smoking history and eligible for annual LDCT screening (American Cancer Society). Compliance is extremely low with best estimates <9%. Insurers and clinicians agree there is a huge need for a pre-screening test to determine who should receive annual LDCT. OrbiSeq-L’s second indication will be a screening test to determine who should receive an annual LDCT.
Pan-Cancer Panel
The company’s second product will be a pan-cancer panel to assess risk for several types of cancer in a single test. We completed pilot studies for medulloblastoma, breast and lung cancers. We have identified markers for low-grade glioblastoma, high-grade glioblastoma, melanoma, ovarian, prostate and pancreatic cancers. The test not only measure individual disease risk for multiple cancers, but it can also be used to measure the effectiveness of lifestyle changes made to reduce risk through repetitive testing.