Breast cancer continues to be the most common cancer found among women in the United States and the second leading cause of cancer death. To educate the public about cancer and the best ways to fight it, October is recognized as Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“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 menu. Performing complementary technologies within one facility, our laboratory directors and professional staff consult daily with one another and physicians on individual cases to ensure concordance and proactively solve clinical problems. Through StrataFLEX™, MPLN’s innovative health management strategy, clinicians are provided disease-specific reflex 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 CellSearch™ circulating tumor cell test.
For more information about tests and services at MPLN, visit www.mplnet.com or contact client services at 1-866-726-1833.
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, obstetrics, gynecology, medical genetics, gastroenterology and infectious disease. The laboratory has extensive expertise in chromosome analysis, flow cytometry, FISH, real-time and quantitative polymerase chain reaction technologies, IHC 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.
Trademarks
StrataFLEX™ is a trademark of Molecular Pathology Laboratory Network Inc.
CellSearch is a trademark of Johnson and Johnson
PathVysion is a registered trademark of Abbott Molecular Inc
HERCEPTIN and Herceptest are registered trademark of Genentech, Inc.
