Quest to Market Test for Metastatic Breast Cancer

Under an agreement announced by Quest Diagnostics Inc. (Teterboro, NJ, USA), Quest will be the only U.S. national commercial reference laboratory to offer a test using the CellSearch circulating tumor cell kit of Veridex, LLC (Raritan, NJ, USA). The test will be available through Quest¡¯s esoteric testing laboratory, Nichols Institute (San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA).

The CellSearch circulating tumor cell kit identifies and counts circulating tumor cells in blood samples from patients being treated for metatastic breast cancer. Results of a multicenter study published in the August 19, 2004, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that the number of circulating tumor cells is predictive of progression-free survival and overall survival in metastatic breast cancer patients. The CellSearch epithelial cell kit was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January 2004.

Circulating tumor cells are present in the blood when a primary cancer sheds tumor cells into the circulatory system. Knowing the number of circulating tumor cells in the blood may help oncologists make decisions about their patients¡¯ treatment earlier than previously possible. Until now doctors had to wait three months or longer before they could determine if a specific treatment was beneficial to the patient.

Quest Diagnostics has entered into an agreement with Immunicon Corp. (Huntingdon Valley, PA, USA) for the purchase of Immunicon¡¯s CellTracks AutoPrep system and CellSpotter analyzer to enable Quest to run the CellSearch circulating tumor cell kit. The kit incorporates Immunicon proprietary reagents and other technology to which Veridex has exclusive worldwide rights.

¡°This important new test has the potential to help oncologists better care for patients with metastatic breast cancer,¡± said Surya N. Mohapatra, Ph.D., president and CEO of Quest Diagnostics.




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