FAQs
Thank you for your interest in OncInsights™. Below are answers to questions most often asked by physicians. If you have additional questions, please contact one of our client services representatives at 616-949-7500.
What is OncInsights?
What advantages does OncInsights offer to my patient?
What advantages does Intervention Insights offer to me?
How do I select patients for OncInsights?
What types of malignancies are appropriate for OncInsights testing?
What tests are performed when OncInsights is ordered?
How much tumor is required?
How does the pathologist procure and prepare tumor samples?
How are report results sent?
How do I order OncInsights?
Does my oncology practice need to be associated with Intervention
Insights to prescribe the test to my patient?
Is OncInsights reimbursed?
What evidence supports OncInsights testing?
How can I get additional information?
Why do you use the Affymetrix® chip?
What is OncInsights?
Just as every person has a unique set of fingerprints, every person has a unique molecular profile for their cancer, and that is why patients have unique responses to cancer treatments. It follows then that oncologists need insight into the molecular basis of their patients’ tumors to help develop personalized treatment programs.
OncInsights is the service Intervention Insights has created to provide you, the oncologist, with options for treating your patients with personalized medicine therapies.
For more information, see the OncInsights page.
What advantages does OncInsights offer to my patient?
By analyzing a patient’s cancerous tissue against more than 20,000 genes in the human genome, OncInsights identifies molecular pathways within the patient’s disease to recommend targeted treatments and more effective therapies. OncInsights provides this complete information quickly and efficiently, often within five days of taking a tissue sample.
What advantages does Intervention Insights offer to me?
OncInsights provides informed resource options that fit seamlessly with your ongoing care plans for your patients. OncInsights also provides rational therapeutic strategies based on individual molecular and clinical information.
How do I select patients for OncInsights?
You recommend OncInsights at your discretion. However, here are some suggested guidelines for the type of patients who make the best candidates:
- Patients who have exhausted standard-of-care therapies
- Patients with rare tumor types that have less well-defined standard-of-care therapies
- Patients with very aggressive cancers that have a high mortality rate with first-line standard-of-care therapy
What types of malignancies are appropriate for OncInsights testing?
OncInsights analysis can be performed on patients with all tumor types.
What tests are performed when OncInsights is ordered?
During a patient’s standard care surgical procedure, a portion of the tumor sample is collected in a special package Intervention Insights provides. The package is sent to the Intervention Insights CLIA laboratory for full genomic characterization of more than 20,000 genes and 54,000 molecular data points.
The molecular expression data is analyzed with our bioinformatics platform. This system compares the data with information from diverse locations — public data sources including molecular knowledge, clinical trial information, and drug and disease information including an anonymous version of the patient’s medical history and unique molecular data.
The system brings the disparate data points together and runs algorithms to identify unique insights into the patient’s disease. A customized report containing recommendations to assist you in developing the optimal treatment regimen is delivered to you via a secure internet connection.
How much tumor is required?
At least 50% of the sample must be tumor, but only a small portion of the tumor is required for the OncInsights tests.
How does the pathologist procure and prepare tumor samples?
The process requires the following:
- A fresh needle biopsy (ideally three from three different spots)
or
A fresh tumor sample from a surgical removal (pathologist must slice the tumor sample into thirds) - Pathologist places one sample into tube filled with RNA later and then is sent to our lab
- The remaining samples will be tested for standard FFPE tissue processing by the pathologist:
- Stage
- Class
- Tumor Presence
- The pathologist relays this information to Intervention Insights.
How are report results sent?
The OncInsights report provides results in an easy to interpret format.
The first page provides a summary of all of the key biomarkers that may be relevant to your patient’s care. The therapies to be considered based upon the biomarker results are also listed in this summary. Both standard of care and non-approved therapies associated with response or lack of response with these biomarkers are also listed in this summary.
Subsequent pages provide more in-depth analysis of the actual protein and gene expression levels of every biomarker analyzed. Finally, the report describes the levels of evidence associated with each marker and the logic between the marker expression and the therapeutic indication. In most cases, one or more potential treatment options are identified.
How do I order OncInsights?
Please call us at 616-949-7500 to learn more about ordering OncInsights. Your call will be answered by a client services representative who can assist you with all aspects of Intervention Insights, including requisitions, shipping and sample requirements.
Does my oncology practice need to be associated with Intervention Insights to prescribe the test to my patient?
Yes, currently only those practices that are associated with Intervention Insights would be able to offer the service to their patients. However, we are open to joining additional networks. Please contact us here to review options of joining our list of associated networks.
Is OncInsights reimbursed?
Currently, OncInsights requires out-of-pocket payments by the patient of $3950.
What evidence supports OncInsights testing?
Beginning in 2000, researchers at the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) in Grand Rapids, Michigan undertook development of a novel bioinformatics tool, XB Bio-Integration Suite® (XB-BIS), with the goals of providing unique insights into disease based on molecular, preclinical, clinical and therapeutic data. This tool is continually being enhanced and is currently used by numerous clinical researchers, diagnostic and pharmaceutical organizations on three continents. Intervention Insights obtained a license for the use of the XB-BIS tool set for its commercial use in providing personalized medicine services to clinicians.
With the expertise of the Van Andel Research Institute scientists and the new affiliation between VARI and T-Gen (Translational Genomics), over 600 researchers are dedicated to advancing medical research and bringing research from the bench to the bedside. Intervention Insights will continue to work in close collaboration with our research partners to leverage our combined expertise and experience to continually improve our predictive therapeutics offering to practicing clinicians.
The VARI has tested the Intervention Insights model in practice using the informatics platform in conjunction with community clinical partners to provide personalized medicine and predictive therapies through an initial 50 patient personalized program. This compassionate care trial involved 12 oncologists in three practices in two geographic communities.
The trial involved both pediatric and adult patients across multiple cancer types. The preliminary data from this testing appears to be positive. These experiences led to the refinement of a 200 plus step process to coordinate this type of activity within a community setting. In addition, the proof of concept program provided anecdotal evidence that the predictive therapies selected by oncologists appeared to provide improved responses.
In addition to the support for continuing the program by our partner community oncologists, the anecdotal responses of the 24 patients whose oncologists used the information as indicated by their treating oncologists suggest a 37% observed partial or complete tumor response based on international standard of tumor response (RECIST criteria). This trial was fundamental in demonstrating the potential promise of the program and the ability of the Grand Rapids team to efficiently manage the process and provide information back to clinicians within an actionable time frame in a community setting.
How can I get additional information?
To speak to an Intervention Insights representative, or request more details, please call 616-949-7500.
Why do you use the Affymetrix chip?
- It is an FDA approved platform — the only FDA-cleared expression arrays developed by Powered by Affymetrix (PbA) partners.
- It has high reproducibility, as demonstrated by the MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC) study.