Breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer found among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death.
"As breast cancer remains a prominent disease among women and some men, we need to emphasize the importance of regular screenings in early detection, prevention and treatment of this disease," said Roger Hubbard, PhD, founder, president and CEO of Molecular Pathology Laboratory Network, Inc. (MPLN). "By gathering information early, physicians and their patients have better options to make crucial decisions about treatment."
Helping in the fight against cancer, MPLN offers a comprehensive oncology test menu. Performing complementary laboratory technologies within one facility, our directors and professional staff consult daily with one another and physicians on individual cases to ensure concordance and proactively solve clinical problems. Through StrataFLEXTM, a strategic health management approach, clinicians are provided patient-specific testing options to meet diagnostic and prognostic challenges in a timely, cost-effective manner.
MPLN's assays for breast cancer cover the spectrum of prognostic factors, tumor proliferative activity, targeted drug therapy and disease monitoring. Specifically tumors with HER2 amplification detected by fluorescence in-situ hybridization (PathVysion® HER-2DNAProbeKit) and immunohistochemistry (HercepTest® Assay) have shown benefit from HERCEPTIN®. Estrogen and progesterone receptor status and markers such as p53, Ki67, as wells as DNA cell cycle analysis are also utilized to determine disease prognosis and tumor proliferative activity. Treatment monitoring, prediction of relapse and disease-free survival are monitored by evaluating levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigens 15-3, 27-29, and the CellSearchTM circulating tumor cell test.
MPLN is a privately held molecular diagnostic laboratory founded in 1989 and headquartered in Maryville, Tenn. A leader in laboratory medicine, MPLN offers a comprehensive selection of molecular diagnostics and cytogenetic testing that targets oncology, women's health, prenatal care, medical genetics and pharmacogenetics and infectious disease.
The laboratory also has extensive expertise in chromosome analysis, flow cytometry, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), real-time and quantitative polymerase chain reaction technologies, immunohistochemistry and gene sequencing.
MPLN is certified by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and licensed by the states of Tennessee, Florida, New York and Maryland. |
