TETERBORO, N.J., March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
(NYSE: DGX), the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing, including
anatomic pathology services, and ProDuct Health, Inc., a provider of medical
devices to fight breast cancer, announced that Quest Diagnostics is the first
commercial reference laboratory to accept "ductal lavage" specimens for
analysis. Ductal lavage is a procedure for collecting pre-cancerous and
cancerous cells from milk ducts in the breast, the source of most breast
cancer.
ProDuct's ductal lavage procedure is based on decades of research showing
that most breast cancer begins in the cells lining the milk ductal system of
the breast. By collecting these cells directly from the milk ducts, the
minimally invasive ductal lavage procedure functions somewhat like a "Pap
smear" for the breast, allowing the early detection of pre-malignant and
malignant cells from their source of origin. Just as Pap tests are used to
identify significant precancerous cervical disease, ductal lavage gives
physicians and their patients additional information to make decisions about
management and therapeutic options. Breast cancer is a leading cause of death
for women.
The devices used in the ductal lavage procedure have been cleared by the
FDA for medical use. The procedure will be used as a way to assess risk among
a group of women who are already at high risk for breast cancer. It is not
recommended as a general screening approach for all women.
Cytopathologists at Quest Diagnostics have been specially trained on the
clinical interpretation of breast ductal fluid samples obtained using
ProDuct's InDuct(TM) Breast MicroCatheter and InDuct(TM) Breast Aspirator.
Only physicians on Quest Diagnostics' medical staff who have been trained
jointly by ProDuct Health and Dr. Britt-Marie Ljung, Professor of Pathology,
from the University of California, San Francisco, will review ductal lavage
specimens. Dr. Ljung was the lead pathologist in the ProDuct Health clinical
trial and has evaluated over a thousand ductal lavage specimens. Nine of Quest
Diagnostics' regional laboratories now have trained staff and can handle
ductal lavage specimens, using the non-gynecological ThinPrep(R) filtration
process as the company's standard process for preparing the specimens for
microscopic slide review.
As an established Cytopathology process, the breast ductal lavage
laboratory diagnosis is currently covered by Medicare and most private health
care plans.
"The ability to look for the very beginnings of abnormal change in the
breast can offer important information for physicians to consider in the
management of women at high-risk for breast cancer," said Dr. Dwight DeRisi of
Long Island Breast Care in Great Neck, N.Y. "The availability of ductal lavage
interpretation through Quest Diagnostics will give us efficient, reliable
access to this information."
Specimens are collected using the InDuct(TM) Breast MicroCatheter and
InDuct(TM) Breast Aspirator, made by ProDuct Health. This is a method for
collecting cells within breast ducts for cytologic analysis and
interpretation. ProDuct Health distributes its product to trained medical
professionals, primarily breast cancer surgeons and others involved with the
detection and treatment of breast cancer and the reduction of breast cancer
risk. The system of products enables physicians to collect cells from the
lining of the breast milk ducts for cytological analysis, and allows the
determination of normal, pre-malignant and malignant cells.
"Ductal lavage enables our Cytopathologists to search for pre-malignant
cells in the breast, just as we have done with cervical specimens for
decades," said Harvey W. Kaufman, M.D., Vice President and Chief Laboratory
Officer for Quest Diagnostics. "It is an exciting advance that gives women and
their physicians options for prevention and treatment when used as an adjunct
to standard breast cancer detection methods such as mammography or a physical
exam."
About ProDuct Health
Founded in 1998, ProDuct Health, Inc. is a privately held company based in
Menlo Park, CA. ProDuct Health's mission is to eradicate breast cancer through
the earliest detection and treatment of breast pre-cancer and cancer. Centers
offering ductal lavage and accepting referral patients are listed on the
ProDuct Health web site (http://www.producthealth.com) and through the
company's toll-free information line 1-866-466-DUCT (866-466-3828).
About Quest Diagnostics
Quest Diagnostics is the leader in anatomic pathology services and in
women's health diagnostics. Quest Diagnostics was the first laboratory to
offer the HercepTest nationally for HER2 breast cancer testing, first to offer
human papillomavirus reflex testing off a ThinPrep Pap Test and an early
adopter of ThinPrep technology in non-gynecological applications.
Quest Diagnostics is the nation's leading provider of diagnostic testing,
information and services with $3.4 billion in annual revenues. The company's
diagnostic testing yields information that enables health care professionals
and consumers to make better decisions to improve health. Quest Diagnostics
offers patients and physicians the broadest access to diagnostic testing
services through its national network of approximately 30 full-service
laboratories, 150 rapid response laboratories and more than 1,300 patient
service centers, where specimens are collected. Quest Diagnostics is the
leading provider of esoteric testing, including gene-based testing, and is the
leader in routine medical testing, drugs of abuse testing, and anatomic
pathology testing. Through partnerships with pharmaceutical, biotechnology and
information technology companies, Quest Diagnostics provides support to help
speed the development of health care insights and new therapeutics. Additional
company information can be found on the Internet at:
http://www.questdiagnostics.com.
InDuct is a registered trademark of ProDuct Health Incorporated.
ThinPrep is a registered trademark of Cytyc Corporation.
HercepTest is a trademark of Genentech, Inc. licensed to DAKO.
SOURCE Quest Diagnostics Incorporated
CONTACT: Media - Gary Samuels, 201-393-5700, or Investors - Cathy
Doherty, 201-393-5030, both for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated/