Unilabs Brings Novel Genomic Test to Breast Cancer Patients

LONDON, October 11, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

 --  Oncotype DX^® Breast Cancer Test  Helps Predict Risk of Recurrence and Chemotherapy Benefit in Patients with Early-stage Invasive Breast Cancer, Sparing Women in the UK from Unnecessary Chemotherapy Treatment --

Unilabs, a leading supplier of Cellular pathology services in the UK, announced today that its patients will now have access to the Oncotype DX® breast cancer test at their partner clinics and hospitals, including the Harley Street Breast Clinic in London. Developed by Genomic Health, Inc., the Oncotype DX test is a unique genomic assay that enables doctors and their patients with early stage oestrogen receptor positive invasive breast cancer to make more informed, individualised treatment decisions.

"Oncotype DX is the only genomic test that helps inform each woman with breast cancer about both her own personal risk of breast cancer recurrence and the likely benefit from chemotherapy," said Nicholas Beechey-Newman, Consultant Breast Surgeon and Clinical Director at The Harley Street Breast Clinic. "The use of the test in the planning of individualised cancer care helps patients and their doctors make individual treatment decisions based on the best possible information, which allows chemotherapy to be used where it will be most beneficial to women."

The Unilabs-IHS Breast Pathology Service was established in 2001 and is the market leader in outsourced pathology services, delivering services to both the public and private sectors. Unilabs supports a multidisciplinary approach to the care of patients with breast disease - pathologists work closely with teams of surgeons, radiologists and oncologists, and with other pathology specialists, to diagnose breast disease, assess its receptor status, and address issues of appropriate care.

"Unilabs takes a pro-active stance with its services, investing time and money to provide 'State of the Art' diagnostic testing with the latest equipment," said Dr Glen Dixon, Medical Director of Cytopathology. "As a result, Unilabs is continually evolving and driving forward its standards of quality and care. Oncotype DX is a great example of the high-quality breast diagnostics we strive to provide physicians and patients."

As part of this agreement, physicians can send their patients' tissue samples to the Unilabs IHS laboratory where the test will be facilitated. The Oncotype DX test will be available to patients with early-stage, estrogen-positive (ER+) invasive breast cancer. The test is performed on a small amount of the tissue removed during the original surgery (lumpectomy, mastectomy, or core biopsy). Based on the multi-gene analyses of the tumour sample, Oncotype DX assigns the breast cancer a Recurrence Score® result. This score is a number between 0 and 100 that corresponds to a specific likelihood of experiencing breast cancer recurrence within 10 years of initial diagnosis. This test is the only genomic assay incorporated in ASCO,®  NCCN,® and St. Gallen breast cancer treatment guidelines for patients with node-negative breast invasive cancer that is oestrogen-receptor positive and/or progesterone-receptor positive.

"Genomic Health is delighted to be working with Unilabs-IHS Breast Pathology Service and the Harley Street Breast Clinic team in their quest to bring high-quality personalised medicine to women with breast cancer," said Dr. Andrea Pithers, Country Strategic Manager for Genomic Health in the UK. "Across Europe, the Oncotype DX test for invasive breast cancer is increasingly becoming incorporated into the clinical care of women with early-stage breast cancer and we hope that this collaboration will enable more women in the UK to benefit from genomic information provided by this test."

For more information on the Oncotype DX breast cancer test, visit http://www.unilabs-ihs.co.uk or http://www.oncotypeDX.co.uk

About Unilabs

With operations in 11 countries, Unilabs is positioned as a leading diagnostics company with one of the broadest geographic coverage areas in Europe.

Unilabs also possesses the most comprehensive portfolio of diagnostic services in Europe. This includes laboratory medicine, medical imaging, histopathology, reproductive medicine and drug development services. Unilabs is committed to providing the highest-quality and efficient diagnostics service using the most advanced technology and best-in-class procedures.

About Unilabs IHS

Unilabs-IHS is a major provider of diagnostic cellular pathology services to both the independent sector and the NHS. Holding full unconditional CPA Accreditation (reference number 2380), Unilabs-IHS offers a comprehensive range of investigations including histopathology and cytopathology, immunohistochemistry and molecular diagnostics.

Our service is led by a team of highly experienced consultant pathologists, with many years of experience serving both the NHS and independent sectors. Most of our consultants hold substantive appointments in teaching hospitals in Central London. Due to these close links with academic institutions we have ready access to specialty areas, including more esoteric fields including neuropathology, ophthalmic and bone pathology.

About Genomic Health

Genomic Health, Inc. (NASDAQ: GHDX) is a global health company that provides actionable genomic information to personalize genomic health decisions. The company's lead product, the Oncotype DX(r) breast cancer test, has been shown to predict the likelihood of chemotherapy benefit as well as recurrence in invasive breast cancer and has been shown to predict the likelihood of recurrence in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). In addition to this widely adopted test, Genomic Health provides the Oncotype DX colon cancer test, the first multi-gene expression test developed for the assessment of risk of recurrence in patients with stage II disease and appropriate stage III patients. As of June 30, 2012, more than 10,000 physicians in over 65 countries had ordered more than 295,000 Oncotype DX tests. Genomic Health has a robust pipeline focused on developing tests to optimize the treatment of prostate and renal cell cancers, as well as additional treatment decisions in breast and colon cancers. The company is based in Redwood City, California with European headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.  For more information, please visit, http://www.GenomicHealth.com. To learn more about Oncotype DX tests, visit: http://www.OncotypeDX.com and http://www.mybreastcancertreatment.org.

ASCO^®  is a registered trademark of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. NCCN® is a registered trademark of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. ASCO, NCCN, and St. Gallen do not endorse any product or therapy

Unilabs contact details
Claire Pridige
Tel +44(0)1536-521438, Mobile +44(0)7500-091080
e-mail: claire.pridige@unilabs.com

Genomic Health contact details
Media Contact EU:
Lizzie Marshall-Evans
Tel: +44(0)20-3116-6479,
e-mail: emarshallevans@wcgworld.com

Media Contact US:
Victoria Steiner
Tel: +1-650-569-2499
e-mail: media@genomichealth.com