NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Vermillion and Moffitt Cancer Center said yesterday that they are collaborating on a study aimed at generating clinical and economic data to support the use of molecular diagnostics, including Vermillion's OVA1 test, in ovarian cancer care.
Funded by an unrestricted grant from Vermillion, the effort will consist of two phases: the first a retrospective study benchmarking the standards of care provided to patients with ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer, and the second modeling improvements in care and cost savings afforded by the use of molecular diagnostics like OVA1.
"It is imperative that we rapidly develop high-quality, cost-effective strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer," Jonathan Lancaster, president of the Moffitt Medical Group and leader of the study, said in a statement.
Lancaster added that despite multiple studies indicating that ovarian cancer patients have higher survival rates when treated by a gynecologic oncologist as opposed to a general gynecologist, "in the US, fewer than half of the patients with the disease receive care from a gynecologic oncologist."
OVA1 is intended for determining whether suspicious pelvic masses are likely benign or malignant, allowing the latter patients to be passed on to a gynecologic oncologist for treatment.