CancerTYPE ID®

Changing the way you identify cancer

A common dilemma for pathologists and oncologists is determining whether or not a tumor represents a primary or a distant metastasis from another site. Molecular testing through CancerTYPE ID provides classification for cancer of uncertain or unknown primary to help physicians determine the primary cancer site and aides in selection of therapeutic options. There are five instances related to the origin of a tumor in which this test may be useful:

  • When determining whether a cancer is a distant metastasis from a current or previous cancer vs. a totally new primary
  • When addressing a differential diagnosis with two or more choices, each with a different treatment
  • When the diagnosis is cancer of unknown primary (CUP)
  • When diagnosis cannot be confirmed using conventional menus and requires confirmation/validation
  • When the diagnosis may have implications for family members with hereditary cancers

Lack of a definitive diagnosis can significantly impact therapy selection

In a study of 879 consecutive patients with a suspected cancer of unknown primary, survival duration was increased when the primary tumor site was identified and treatment was directed toward each primary tumor type.1

The cost of inconclusive results can mount

Even after the most thorough clinical workup, accurate identification of the primary cancer site is often not possible. The fact is, less than 20% of patients with unknown or uncertain primaries have a primary site identified antemortem.2 The diagnostic workup for metastatic patients with uncertain primaries can be cumbersome, lengthy, and expensive, averaging nearly $18,000.3

CancerTYPE ID provides critical data to guide differential diagnoses

CancerTYPE ID is a molecular cancer classification test that measures and integrates the expression of 92 genes. From its tumor reference data set, composed of primary and metastatic cancers of known origin, CancerTYPE ID can distinguish up to 54 different tumor types.4

CancerTYPE ID:

  • Guides the physician in differential diagnosis and identification of the primary cancer site
  • Provides critical information to select the most appropriate treatment regimens for individual patients
  • Performed with no pre-conceived clinical bias
  • Demonstrated success rate for classification with high overall sensitivity of 85% and specificity of > 99%4,5
  • Results often clinically confirmable through immunohistochemistry and imaging procedures
  • Ideal adjunct to current diagnostic process


References:
1. Abbruzzese, JL et al. Analysis of a diagnostic strategy for patients with suspected tumors of unknown origin. J Clin Oncol., 13:2094-2103, 1995.
2. Varadhachary, GR et al. Diagnostic Strategies for Unknown Primary Cancer. Cancer. 100:1776-1785, 2004.
3. Schapira DV, Jarrett AR. The need to consider survival, outcome, and expense when evaluating and treating patients with unknown primary carcinoma. Arch Inter Med.;155:2050-2054, 1995.
4. Ma, et al. Molecular Classification of Human Cancers Using a 92-Gene Real Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay. Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, 130: 465-473, 2006.
5. Data on file, Technical Report 021510, bioTheranostics.