At this month’s coming American Thyroid Association meeting, Veracyte plans to announce findings from studies of its Afirma cytopathology assessment and gene expression classifier.
In a series of 7 presentations, Veracyte plans to demonstrate the efficacy of its thyroid cancer diagnostic tech, as well as a path to enhancing its performance down the road. The Afirma test analyzes the expression level of 142 genes, according to the company, that show a recognizable pattern in benign thyroid nodules.
Often, in diagnosing thyroid cancer when the threat is undetermined, a patient will undergo surgery to obtain a true diagnosis, about a quarter of which come back benign, Veracyte says. Afirma gives the patient one more step before surgery to come back with a more accurate diagnosis.
Among the presentations are long-term follow-ups with Afirma benign results, next-generation GEC capabilities and study reviews.
"Addressing over-treatment of thyroid cancer is a top priority in this field," Veracyte CEO Bonnie Anderson said. "The long-term clinical evidence presented at the ATA conference will demonstrate the Afirma GEC's efficacy in helping patients with thyroid nodules avoid surgery they do not need, preserving the critical functions of the thyroid gland and taking costs out of the healthcare system."
Earlier this year, Veracyte brought in $45 million from Visium Healthcare Partners to expand its business and generate growth for Afirma and other products like its Percepta bronchial genomic classifier for lung cancer.