New detection test for breast cancer
FDA approves new test which detects breast cancer spread. The test is called the GeneSearch Breast Lymph Node Assay and is manufactured by drug manufacturer Johnson & Johnson. The test detects molecules that are abundant in breast tissue but are normally rare in lymph nodes; the first lymph node that filters fluid from the breast is called the “sentinel node”, which is commonly removed during a lumpectomy or mastectomy as it is where breast cancer cells are most likely to spread first.
Following clinical trials of more than 300 U.S. patients the test correctly identified 95.6 percent of people whose cancer had spread to the lymph nodes, which is a better result than the 85 percent achieved by means of another procedure.
The rapid results achieved with the test means patients can be assessed while still on the operating table, thus preventing the need for more surgery later.
According to the American Cancer Society an estimated 180,000 breast cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States in 2007, and almost 41,000 Americans are expected to die from the disease.
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