Pathwork Diagnostics

When and how the test is performed

The FDA-cleared Pathwork Tissue of Origin Test can be ordered whenever a sample of tumor cells obtained in a biopsy is not easily identified after the initial diagnostic step.

Like other types of diagnostic tests, the Tissue of Origin Test requires a small sample of the tumor. This sample is obtained either during surgery, or as a separate biopsy procedure. The tumor tissue is preserved in paraffin wax for shipping to the Pathwork Diagnostics Laboratory, where it is processed and analyzed using the Tissue of Origin Test.

The information from the test is provided to the oncologist in a report that helps to rule in or rule out different tumor types.

“When the Tissue of Origin Test showed it was breast cancer, that relieved me tremendously to know we could get started with the treatment, I kept thinking what if it’s not breast cancer but something even worse. In the back of my mind, I thought I was going to die until they found out what was wrong.”

- Stella Carroll, Cancer Survivor and Committed Volunteer