Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Evidence Street Issues Positive Assessment of Castle Biosciences’ Uveal Melanoma Gene Expression Test

Insurance Weekly News

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Castle Biosciences, Inc., a provider of molecular diagnostics to improve cancer treatment decisions, announced that Blue Cross Blue Shield Association Evidence Street™ has issued a positive assessment of DecisionDx®-UM, the Company's gene expression profile (GEP) test to determine prognosis (metastatic potential) in patients diagnosed with uveal melanoma (UM). Evidence Street provides objective information to healthcare and managed care professionals based on clinical and scientific evidence and evaluates whether a technology could improve net health outcomes.

The positive assessment follows Evidence Street's analysis of peer-reviewed data from patients with localized uveal melanoma who underwent testing with DecisionDx-UM. The analysis determined that the health outcomes of UM patients were improved when GEP testing was used compared to traditional staging methods. Evidence Street does not make medical policy determinations; however, it is anticipated that this assessment will have a positive impact upon current medical policy discussions with health plans.

"This positive review demonstrates the strength of clinical evidence for DecisionDx-UM and is an important step forward in securing coverage from health insurance providers in the Blue Cross Blue Shield affiliate network," said Derek Maetzold, President and CEO of Castle Biosciences. "The positive assessment further validates the utility of DecisionDx-UM in predicting patient outcomes and guiding appropriate follow-up treatment plans." About DecisionDx-UM The DecisionDx-UM test measures the gene expression profile (GEP), or molecular signature, of an individual's tumor and identifies with high accuracy the likelihood of metastasis. The DecisionDx-UM test is standard of care in the management of uveal melanoma in the majority of ocular oncology practices. Since 2009, the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC; v7 and v8) has included gene expression profiling for identification of Class 1 and 2 as a prognostic factor recommended for clinical care. The AJCC is the only national organization that reviews uveal melanoma and the DecisionDx-UM test is the only clinically available GEP test for use in the U.S. The test has been validated in multiple prospective and retrospective studies. More information about the test and disease can be found at www.MyUvealMelanoma.com. About Castle Biosciences Castle Biosciences is a molecular diagnostics company dedicated to helping patients and their physicians make the best possible treatment and follow-up care decisions based on the individual molecular signature of their tumor. The Company currently offers tests for patients with cutaneous melanoma (DecisionDx®-Melanoma; www.SkinMelanoma.com) and uveal melanoma (DecisionDx®-UM and DecisionDx®-PRAME; www.MyUvealMelanoma.com), with development programs in other underserved cancers. Castle Biosciences is based in Friendswood, TX (Houston), and has laboratory operations in Phoenix, AZ. More information can be found at www.CastleBiosciences.com. DecisionDx-Melanoma, DecisionDx-UM and DecisionDx-PRAME are the trademarks of Castle Biosciences, Inc. Any other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170329005251/en/