UnitedHealthcare will cover Genomic Prostate Score test

UnitedHealthcare will be providing commercial coverage of MDxHealth’s Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) test (formerly Oncotype DX GPS), which is used for stratifying risk in men with newly diagnosed with localized prostate cancer.¹

Prostate Cancer

The GPS test uses a 17-gene signature to predict disease aggressiveness and help guide treatment decisions for patients with localized prostate cancer. The 17 genes are comprised of 12 cancer-related genes and 5 reference genes. According to MDxHealth, the GPS test has shown the capacity to predict the “likelihood of adverse pathology, prostate cancer death, and metastasis within 10 years.”

“We are very pleased to announce that UnitedHealthcare, the largest private health insurer in the United States, will provide coverage for our GPS test. We applaud UnitedHealthcare’s decision to identify our GPS test as its only commercially-covered diagnostic that can improve clinical outcomes for men newly diagnosed with localized prostate cancer, ” Michael K. McGarrity, CEO of mdxhealth, stated in a news release.

Clinical evidence of GPS efficacy

Several clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of the GPS test. One such study involved 749 patients who, between 2015 and 2019, underwent radical prostatectomy and received the GPS test. The same surgeon performed the GPS test and the subsequent surgery.²

The goal of the retrospective study was to assess the association between the GPS test and unfavorable pathology parameters, including extraprostatic extension (EPE) and seminal vesicle invasion (SVI).

Across the patient population, the median age was 63 years and the median PSA was 5.7 ng/ml. Statistical analyses found that GPS score was an independent predictor of EPE (Odd Ratio [OR], 1.8) and SVI (OR, 2.1).

“We studied whether the score for a prostate genetic test was associated with prostate cancer pathology findings for patients`who had their prostate removed. We found that the risk of prostate cancer spread outside the gland and to the seminal vesicle increases with higher test scores. These findings may help surgeons in counseling patients on surgical options for prostate cancer,” the authors wrote in their study conclusion.

Reference

1. MDxHealth Announces UnitedHealthcare to Provide Commercial Coverage for the Genomic Prostate Score (GPS) Test. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://bit.ly/3I7uM5j

2. Moschovas MC, Chew C, Bhat S. Association Between Oncotype DX Genomic Prostate Score and Adverse Tumor Pathology After Radical Prostatectomy. Eur Urol Focus. 2022;8(2):418-424. doi: 10.1016/j.euf.2021.03.015