Tissue of Origin Test Determines Tumor's Origin

A new, genomics-based test is designed to help determine a tumor's origin so that tissue-specific management can begin. The test uses microarray technology and proprietary analytics designed to measure the expression of more than 1,600 genes and compare a tumor's genetic "signature” against those of 15 known tissue types.

There are an estimated 200,000 cancer patients each year in the United States who may benefit from additional diagnostic information to determine the tissue of origin for their cancer. U.S. National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines emphasize the importance of identifying the tissue of origin so that management specific to the primary cancer can begin.

Pathwork Diagnostics (Sunnyvale, CA, USA), a genomics-based diagnostics company focused on oncology, reported that Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine (Richmond VA, USA) has initiated an investigational study of the Tissue of Origin Test. The company's first test--the Pathwork Tissue of Origin Test--is designed to be an aid in the diagnosis of the tissue of origin in patients with undifferentiated or poorly differentiated tumors or metastases. The company's tests consist of Pathwork Diagnostics' analytics and a companion Pathchip microarray, which runs on the Affymetrix (Santa Clara, CA, USA) instrument system

"Patient cases in which a tumor cannot be readily identified are a significant problem,” said Catherine Dumur, Ph.D., director of molecular morphology genomics for the department of pathology, VCU. "Such cases are time-consuming for physicians and anxiety-producing for patients, and are a challenge to providing the most appropriate care for the patient. We are eager to see how this investigational new genomics-based test extends and complements traditional histopathological approaches.”

The Tissue of Origin Test was the focus of two workshops and two poster presentations at the 12th annual meeting of the Association for Molecular Pathology held on November 7-10, 2007, in Los Angeles (CA, USA).


Related Links:
Pathwork Diagnostics
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Affymetrix