A life sciences company has announced a new test in the field of personalized medicine that aims to improve the patient care of people suffering from colorectal cancer.
Warnex’s Medical Laboratories division now offers a K-ras mutation analysis for these cancer patients, which essentially means a person’s genetic profile will determine the type of medical care they will receive.
"Warnex’s mutation analysis of the K-ras gene provides valuable information to evaluate a patient’s response to specific treatments for colorectal cancer," Mark Busgang, president and CEO of Warnex, said.
Currently, the common treatment for colorectal cancer, which is also known as colon cancer or large bowel cancer, is therapy targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor.
However, it’s been shown that a mutation in the K-ras gene causes the body to resist this type of treatment. The incidence of this K-ras gene mutation is approximately 40 percent in colorectal cancer tumors.
By analyzing K-ras mutations, physicians are given valuable treatment information and can adjust the treatment for certain patients.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in Canada. On average, 413 Canadians will be diagnosed and 171 Canadians will die of colorectal cancer every week.
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