Last week's buys of two oncology labs will allow Quest to provide new cancer diagnostic technologies to communities lacking major cancer research centers, it said.
Researchers said that laboratories participating in BRAF proficiency testing include most of the required reporting elements "to unambiguously convey molecular results."
The combination of the new test with Biocartis' existing KRAS assay offers customers a complete solution for testing metastatic colorectal cancers as reccomended by professional guidelines.
The Taiwanese research team that developed the method showed in a new study that it could better detect BRAF mutations than conventional PCR plus Sanger sequencing.
Researchers also found that higher frequencies of BRAF V600E mutations in the blood were associated with poorer outcomes and less responsiveness to BRAF inhibitors.
Before patients receive the Cotellic/Zelboraf combination, patients should be tested with an FDA-approved BRAF mutation companion test, the agency said.
