FRIENDSWOOD, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Castle Biosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSTL), a skin cancer diagnostics company providing personalized genomic information to improve cancer treatment decisions, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued the Company its first U.S. patent related to the DecisionDx^®-Melanoma gene expression profile test for patients with cutaneous melanoma.

Patent No. 10,577,660, issued on March 3, 2020, covers methods of treating cutaneous melanoma in patients having high-risk cutaneous melanoma tumors. The inventors discovered that patients having high-risk cutaneous melanoma tumors can be identified by the gene-expression profile signature of their cutaneous melanoma tumors. The term of the patent extends until September 2034. This brings the total number of issued or allowed patents related to the Company's DecisionDx-Melanoma test to 10.

“We are pleased to have been issued our first U.S. patent covering DecisionDx-Melanoma,” said Derek Maetzold, Castle’s president and chief executive officer. “In the United States, we estimate approximately 130,000 patients are diagnosed with Stage I-III cutaneous melanoma each year. The clinical use of DecisionDx-Melanoma is designed to optimize post-diagnostic treatment decisions, including sentinel lymph node biopsy, frequency of follow-up and the need for imaging, which we believe will lead to improved health outcomes for patients with skin cancer.”

Castle Biosciences’ DecisionDx-Melanoma test is a 31-gene expression profile prognostic test for cutaneous melanoma that predicts 5-year risk of metastasis as low risk (Class 1, 1A lowest risk) or high risk (Class 2, 2B highest risk), as well as metastasis to the sentinel lymph node, based on an individual patient’s tumor biology.

About DecisionDx-Melanoma

DecisionDx-Melanoma is a gene expression profile test that uses an individual patient’s tumor biology to predict individual risk of cutaneous melanoma metastasis or recurrence, as well as sentinel lymph node positivity, independent of traditional staging factors, and has been studied in more than 5,700 patient samples. Using tissue from the primary melanoma, the test measures the expression of 31 genes. The test has been validated in four archival risk of recurrence studies of 901 patients and six prospective risk of recurrence studies including more than 1600 patients. Prediction of the likelihood of sentinel lymph node positivity has also been validated in two prospective multicenter studies that included more than 3,000 patients. Impact on patient management plans for one of every two patients tested has been demonstrated in four multicenter and single-center studies including more than 560 patients. The consistent performance and accuracy demonstrated in these studies provides confidence in disease management plans that incorporate DecisionDx-Melanoma test results. Since its commercial launch through December 31, 2019, DecisionDx-Melanoma has been ordered 51,967 times for use in patients with cutaneous melanoma.

More information about the test and disease can be found at .

About Castle Biosciences

Castle Biosciences (Nasdaq: CSTL) is a commercial-stage dermatologic cancer company focused on providing physicians and their patients with personalized, clinically actionable genomic information to make more accurate treatment decisions. The Company currently offers tests for patients with cutaneous melanoma (DecisionDx^®-Melanoma, DecisionDx^®-CMSeq; ) and uveal melanoma (DecisionDx^®-UM, DecisionDx^®-PRAME and DecisionDx^®-UMSeq; ), with products in development for other underserved cancers, the two most advanced of which are focused on patients with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and patients who have a difficult-to-diagnose pigmented lesion. Castle Biosciences is based in Friendswood, Texas (Houston), and has laboratory operations in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, visit .

DecisionDx-Melanoma, DecisionDx-CMSeq, DecisionDx-UM, DecisionDx-PRAME and DecisionDx-UMSeq are trademarks of Castle Biosciences, Inc.

Forward-Looking Statements

The information in this press release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the ability of DecisionDx-Melanoma test results to optimize diagnostic treatment decisions. The words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “projects,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements; although, not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements that we make. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, the risks set forth in our final prospectus filed with the SEC on July 26, 2019 relating to our Registration Statements on Form S-1 (File Nos. 333-232369 and 333-232796) and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019, filed with the SEC on November 12, 2019, and in our other filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements are applicable only as of the date on which they are made, and we do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as may be required by law.

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