Genomics Test for Tumors of Unknown Origin

A new test based on gene expression profiling has demonstrated 86% accuracy in identifying tumors of unknown origin.

The new methodology requires only a single test that is performed on a patient's RNA sample sent to the laboratory as paraffin-embedded tissue, the most common specimen source in use today. At the lab, the sample is put through laser-capture microdissection, which allows for selection of an enriched sample of the tumor, increasing the yield of RNA for analysis. The patient's RNA is then extracted, isolated, amplified, and hybridized to a microarray. The resulting RNA gene expression is then compared to the RNA gene expression of over 60 different kinds of cancer, 24 tissue or organ sites, and 69 tumor types accounting for more than 90% of all known cancers. The result is an assay with 86% accuracy. The test is currently available for research purposes only.

"In today's oncology arena, most cancer treatments are selected specifically by tumor type,” explained Dr. James Thompson, senior medical director of US Labs (Irvine, CA, USA). "When the tumor cannot be reliably identified, as is true in as many as 15% of cases, selection of treatment is difficult or impossible, costing the patient precious time. Equally important are cases of possible recurrence. This is a real breakthrough.” US Labs is a national, anatomic pathology reference laboratory devoted to comprehensive, rapid-response cancer testing.




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