By Ron Shinkman, Editor, Laboratory Industry Report
LabCorp has launched a prognostic panel intended to gauge the risk of patients being stricken by the most common forms of cancer.
The panel, known as VistaSeq, will be used to identify patients at a higher risk of contracting breast, ovarian, melanoma, pancreatic, colorectal and other forms of cancers. Altogether, those cancers are projected to result in approximately 900,000 new diagnoses annually in the U.S. and be linked to nearly 200,000 deaths. Some of those cancers, if diagnosed earlier, will respond better to aggressive treatment and are more likely to go into remission.
Altogether, the panel will assess mutations within a panel of 27 genes associated with hereditary cancer syndromes. Those gene mutations tend to indicate whether a family history of cancer risk will lead to a more likely diagnosis of the disease in the patient.
“This innovative new offering enhances our industry-leading portfolio of genetic and genomic testing, which we seamlessly integrate with the largest cohort of board-certified genetic counselors in the industry,” said David P. King, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “VistaSeq is an important advancement in precision medicine, and represents the latest example of our strategic focus on delivering world-class diagnostics and using the resulting information to change the way care is provided.”
The assay will be performed by Integrated Genetics, an affiliate of LabCorp’s Specialty Testing Group. A retail price for the panel was not released.