Serum based diagnostic test for lung cancer

US company Panacea Pharmaceuticals Inc has announced that LC Detect(sm), the company’s serum based lung cancer diagnostic test, is now available from Panacea Laboratories.

LC Detect(sm) is a simple blood test which should facilitate the identification of lung cancer, even among individuals with early-stage disease. Panacea Laboratories, a division of Panacea Pharmaceuticals, is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 (CLIA).

Panacea states that current screening and detection methods rely on imaging modalities, primarily chest x-ray and CT scanning. However, chest x-ray is not sufficiently sensitive and CT scanning is expensive with only a moderate improvement in sensitivity. Newer tests, such as low dose spiral computed tomography scans and molecular markers in sputum, have not proven to be useful to date.

The blood sample can be ordered by any physician and sent to Panacea for testing; sample and shipping requirements are available at www.panacea-labs.com.