Pathwork Diagnostics

Meeting a unique challenge

Cancers are named based on their point of origin—a kidney cancer that spreads to the lungs is still called a kidney cancer. Knowing what type of tumor a patient has enables the most appropriate treatment to begin as soon as possible.

These situations can present special challenges to doctors because even advanced diagnostic technologies and tests cannot always tell what type of tumor a person has. It is a challenge for patients and their loved ones as well, when multiple rounds of testing and imaging procedures are required, hours are spent traveling or in waiting rooms, and tumors still are not identified. In addition, knowing what type of cancer a loved one has can help to clarify potential risks for other family members.

Tracing a tumor's unique "fingerprint"
The Pathwork Tissue of Origin Test uses “microarray” technology – a powerful tool for diagnosis because it can measure the gene “fingerprint” of a sample of tumor tissue, and rapidly compare it with the profiles of many types of cancer tumors to find the best match.

Clinical research studies based on thousands of patient cases have confirmed the accuracy of this approach and the Pathwork Tissue of Origin Test. It is the only test of its type that is covered by Medicare and has been cleared for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which regulates all drugs and medical products in the U.S.