SAN DIEGO (CNS) — UC San Diego Health is the first health system in the country to offer a new blood test for testicular cancer, officials announced today.
The test, a decade in the making, is being touted by UCSD physicians as addressing "a critical diagnostic gap, providing physicians with a sensitive and specific biomarker that informs treatment plans to avoid both under- and over- treating the disease."
"Being able to engage in translational research that radically impacts the way we care for patients with testicular cancer is incredibly rewarding," said Dr. Aditya Bagrodia, professor of urology at UCSD School of Medicine and urologic oncologist at UCSD Health.
"Developing this test in partnership with my colleagues represents years of dedicated work to bring a new form of personalized medicine to testicular cancer care."
According to the doctors, the test can provide important information before potential surgery, guide treatment, allow for early detection of recurrent cancer and replace more invasive methods of cancer surveillance.
"This breakthrough represents the kind of investment in innovation that can save lives while improving quality of life for cancer survivors," said Dr. Diane Simeone, director of Moores Cancer Center at UCSD Health.
"We regularly receive inquiries from patients all over the world and are thrilled we can now offer this advanced tool to help optimize outcomes for patients with testicular cancer."
According to the American Cancer Society, around 9,700 Americans are diagnosed with testicular cancer annually, primarily in young men between ages 18 and 45. Around 600 die each year from the disease.
The test measures a highly specific biomarker and can predict the presence of testicular cancer cells with 90% accuracy, according to UCSD.
It is available to UCSD Health patients diagnosed with testicular cancer and will be expanding to accept external samples from other medical centers worldwide later this year. It is College of American Pathologists and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-certified.
"This CAP and CLIA clinical validation process and test implementation allows us to translate years of research findings into clinical decisions that can genuinely help patients," said Sarah Murray, who led the laboratory validation efforts and serves as director of medical genetics and genomics at UCSD Center for Advanced Laboratory Medicine.
"The rigorous standards we've met ensure that this test is reproducible, reliable, and has analytic validity."
According to the physicians and researchers, the blood test's findings will be incorporated into existing testicular cancer care plans.
