“The study at Karolinska University Hospital is yet an example of the many notable research collaborations that Biovica has, and we are pleased to see the results being published in the well-renown ESMO Open. The results support the use of DiviTum®TKa as a blood-based alternative to the tissue-based Ki67 biomarker when assessing breast tumor cell growth. Also this is yet an evidence of DiviTum®TKa’s strong prognostic capabilities,” said Anders Rylander, CEO of Biovica.

The study, PROMIX (NCT00957125) is aimed to predict response of preoperative treatment in patients with early breast cancer. DiviTum®TKa was incorporated in the study as a blood-based biomarker to predict patient outcome measured as treatment response and risk of recurrence after performing surgery to remove the tumor. The aim was further to validate the TKa biomarker against another biomarker, Ki67, known also to measure the tumor growth activity, but within a tissue-testing workflow more cumbersome than the blood-based DiviTum®TKa analysis. Samples from 125 breast cancer patients were collected pre-treatment, during therapy and at surgery.

The results demonstrate that serial measurements of TKa during the preoperative chemotherapy treatment period provides long-term prognostic information on Event Free Survival (EFS) and Overall Survival (OS). A high increase in TKa after two cycles of chemotherapy resulted in improved EFS and OS. Hence, testing for TKa levels during early treatment will predict the long-term outcome of chemotherapy provided before surgery. The study also showed a significant interaction between the prognostic value of TKa and Ki67. This supports the use of DiviTum®TKa as a blood-based alternative to the tissue-based Ki67 biomarker when assessing breast tumor cell growth.

Link to study publication: Prognostic role of serum thymidine kinase 1 kinetics during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer – ESMO Open