Case Study of the WeekAbout: News/Events
RedPath Launches Expanded Menu of Tests for Analysis of Pancreatic Cyst Fluids.
Diagnostic service enhancement simplifies and improves the analytic process.
February 1, 2010, Pittsburgh PA - RedPath Integrated Pathology Inc., a molecular diagnostics company dedicated to the effective diagnosis and treatment of cancer, today announced the launch of an expanded menu of diagnostic tests to complement its proprietary PathFinderTG® molecular analysis. This expanded menu of tests for the characterization of pancreatic cysts will enable gastroenterologists and gastrointestinal clinicians to obtain an unparalleled level of detailed, integrated diagnostic information to make informed patient management decisions about their patients with pancreatic cysts..
RedPath’s expanded menu includes carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), amylase and cyst fluid cytology. By offering CEA, amylase, cytology and molecular testing, RedPath simplifies the analysis of pancreatic cyst fluids in several ways. Clinicians who currently send specimens to as many as three different labs for analysis can get all their testing from one location. Since cyst fluids volumes are typically very low (less than 1mL) it is often difficult to optimize allocation of specimens for different tests. RedPath is now able to optimize the diagnostic information from these challenging fluid aspirates. The test results are provided in a summary report that integrates traditional testing results with molecular analysis.
ACG and ASGE guidelines identify CEA and cytology as important criteria in the characterization of cystic lesions of the pancreas. However the small volumes and often acellular nature of the cyst fluids often yield inconclusive or indeterminate results leading to diagnostic dilemmas. PathFinderTG molecular analysis provides a DNA mutational fingerprint, even from small acellular fluid aspirates which can resolve these difficult cases. RedPath has performed the PathFinderTG analyses on over 6,000 challenging pancreatic cyst cases.
Dennis M. Smith, Jr., M.D., RedPath’s CMO commented “By offering all tests in a single location, RedPath can now perform CEA, amylase and molecular profiling on cyst volumes as little as 500µL and include cytology with only an additional 200µL. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, RedPath’s molecular pathologists will now be able to integrate the molecular mutational profile with all pertinent cyst fluid chemistries and clinical data such as the results of imaging studies. This integration step is vital to diagnose accurately these difficult cases.”
Dr. Smith added “Since many clinical options exist for management of pancreatic cysts, it is especially useful to identify the most appropriate course for each patient based on the integration of clinical and diagnostic findings. Since pancreatic cysts are often a benign condition, an integrated approach can better identify patients who need immediate treatment as well as those who do not require surgery thus reducing the number of unnecessary procedures with their associated morbidity, improving patient outcomes and increasing the cost effectiveness of treatment. “
About RedPath Integrated Pathology Inc.
RedPath Integrated Pathology, Inc., is a genomics-based molecular diagnostics company that provides complex cancer diagnostic testing for pathologists, oncologists and other clinicians. RedPath's patented PathFinderTG integrates its molecular analyses of routine tissue and cytology slides and of body fluids with traditional pathology studies to render more definitive diagnoses, improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. For more information about RedPath, please visit www.redpathip.com.