Biotech and genomics company Prophase Labs on Thursday announced that its BE-Smart test for the early detection of esophageal cancer has been featured in a study published in the International Journal of Molecular Science.
The paper discusses the utility of biomarkers in the early diagnosis of esophageal cancer.
“Currently, the BE-smart assay (ProPhase Laboratories, Garden City, NY, USA) is a mass spectrometry-based test that offers a fully quantitative analysis of these markers and other proteins indicative of disease progression from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded forceps biopsies … These newly emerging biomarkers may demonstrate the predictability of carcinogenesis, as traditional oncogenes have failed to yield consistent prognostic results,” the authors wrote.
Esophageal cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, with a five-year survival rate of less than 20%, as well as being the eighth most common cancer. A factor in its high mortality rate and poor prognosis is late detection; the study authors note that early detection, especially through noninvasive biomarker-based tests such as BE-Smart, is critical to improving outcomes for esophageal cancer.
“We believe the BE-Smart diagnostic tool, once fully clinically validated, has the potential to be commercialized in 2024 with multi-billion-dollar potential," Ted Karkus, CEO of ProPhase Labs, said in a statement.