LabCorp offers UGT1A1 pharmacogenetic test for dosing colorectal cancer therapy

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., Feb. 13 - Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings announced the availability of a test for genetic variants in the UGT1A1 gene associated with excessive toxicity in individuals treated with the late-stage colorectal cancer drug irinotecan hydrochloride (Camptosar).

The rights to perform the test have been sublicensed to LabCorp by the Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, according to a company news release.

Colorectal cancer affects approximately 145,000 people annually in the United States. As many as 50% of these cases are metastatic and candidates for irinotecan-containing therapy, the release stated.

Polymorphisms in the UGT1A1 gene can affect an individual's ability to efficiently metabolize irinotecan, increasing the risk for severe toxicity from the drug. Identifying genetic variants in the gene helps physicians customize the dosage of irinotecan to optimize its benefits while minimizing potentially serious side effects.

"Physicians try to be aggressive in treating metastatic colorectal cancer with powerful drugs like irinotecan, yet the therapeutic level can be very close to the toxic level in those individuals with genetic variants in UGT1A1," executive vice president, chief scientific officer and medical director Myla P. Lai-Goldman said in the release.

"Pharmacogenetic tests like UGT1A1 are a critical tool for helping physicians set drug dosage levels appropriate for each of their patients, and LabCorp is pleased to add this test to our growing arsenal of leading-edge diagnostic tests."

LabCorp commercializes diagnostic technologies and offers clinical assays ranging from routine blood analyses to HIV and genomic testing. The company is based in Burlington, N.C.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.