LabCorp 2008 Annual Report Download - page 15

Laboratory Corporation of America® Holdings 2008 13
Esoteric Testing
We will continue to grow our menu of
esoteric tests focusing on medical areas
that are underserved by current testing. The
commercialization of new esoteric assays
creates a more favorable revenue mix for our
Company and delivers valuable information
for our patients.
Our esoteric testing capabilities are
frequently characterized as “fi rst to market.”
In 2008, for example, we became the
fi rst national clinical laboratory to offer an
enhanced assay from Roche Diagnostics for
hepatitis B (HBV). The goal of HBV therapy is
to treat a patient until the circulating virus can
no longer be detected. Our more sensitive
PCR-based test can detect and measure HBV
DNA at signifi cantly lower levels than previous
tests, enabling physicians to better determine
the success of treatment.
Commercializing non-invasive, oncology-
related tests remains a high priority for
LabCorp. Treatment of colorectal cancer, the
third most common cancer among both men
and women, is dramatically more effective if
the cancer is caught in its early and localized
stages. Nevertheless, nearly 50,000 people
die in the U.S. from colorectal cancer
annually and less than half of the eligible
population is screened for this disease.
In 2008, LabCorp introduced ColoSure™,
among the most sensitive, in-guideline,
non-invasive colorectal cancer screening
methods on the market for asymptomatic
average-risk patients who are unwilling or
unable to undergo a more invasive exam.
We are also enhancing early detection
of prostate cancer, the leading cause of
cancer death in U.S. men, with more than
230,000 cases diagnosed annually. In 2008,
LabCorp introduced a new assay called
GST-Pi Gene Methylation, providing a
more sensitive method for the detection of
prostate cancer than histology alone. This
assay is useful in hard-to-diagnose prostate
cancer cases, particularly in men who have
consistently elevated PSA values, but nega-
tive biopsies.
Our success in esoteric testing has been,
and continues to be, the result of strong
relationships with leading research institutions
and biotechnology companies. Ongoing
collaborative research with such respected
institutions as Duke University and Yale
University will help to ensure that our devel-
opment pipeline for new, innovative tests
remains robust.
DiaSorin Liaison® vitamin D testing instrument: Although for
years clinicians have been aware that vitamin D suffi ciency plays
a critical role in healthy bones, recent studies have revealed an
emerging link between vitamin D suffi ciency and general health or
disease incidence. Suffi cient levels of vitamin D have been associated
with reduced risk for numerous health conditions, including certain
cancers, autoimmune disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and
hypertension. Increasingly, physicians are assessing their patients’
vitamin D status as part of preventive care.