The Daily Scan

HealthTronics Acquires UroPath

MarketWatch reports HealthTronics Acquires UroPath:

HealthTronics, Inc., a leading provider of urology services and products, today announced that it has acquired UroPath, LLC for $7.5 million.

Founded in 2003, UroPath is a leading provider of anatomical pathology laboratory services in the U.S.  In 2007, labs managed by UroPath processed over 400,000 specimens, serving more than 50 urology practices with over 450 physicians across 17 states.  UroPath's unique historical operating model focused on the patient benefits of a more disease-focused diagnosis capability for prostate health with greater involvement by the urologist who often acts as the primary care physician when dealing with prostate disease.

The consolidation in the pathology lab industry continues...

Awareness...

Ever since Aperio began, we've had two main challenges.  The first is obvious for any young business, we've had to build products and provide services to meet the needs of our customers.  And over the past seven years we've done our best, and have grown significantly as a result.  But the second is less obvious but equally important, we've had to create awareness of digital pathology and its benefits.

Over the past year, and especially in the past few months, the general awareness of digital pathology (and Aperio) really seems to have grown.  It has gone from a niche subject in a corner of pathology to a primary area of discussion; most pathologists now feel that digital pathology is the future of their field.  Evidence for this comes from all sides, and it is nice to see Aperio covered in major business press like NBR.  But it is perhaps even more significant to see grass roots mentions like Dr.Yang's MedBlog, in China, or Dr. Bhargava's MedSpin, in India.  And more and more we are seeing hospitals purchase digital pathology systems and feature them as new technology, such as this mention on Rhode Island's Hospital website.

An effort like this is never done, but it is gratifying to see this kind of progress.  Slowly but surely digital pathology is becoming mainstream, joining digital radiology as a major medical imaging modality.  Very cool.

Heart surgery pioneer dies

The Scientist notes Heart surgery pioneer dies:

Michael E. DeBakey, heart surgeon, inventor, teacher, and research advocate, died late last Friday, July 11th, at the age of 99.

DeBakey was "the greatest surgeon of the twentieth century," his colleague George Noon said in a statement from Methodist Hospital in Houston, where he spent most of his career.

During his 70 years as a surgeon, DeBakey performed over 60,000 heart surgeries at the Methodist Hospital and served as President, and later, Chancellor of the Baylor School of Medicine.

Dr. DeBakey was one of those few medical professionals whose work became public; in the early days of heart transplants he was practically a household name.

Two new Her2 tests appear on the market

This morning's news includes two new tests for Her2, first, Fox carries the story that Monogram announces commercial availability of the HERmark breast cancer assay:

Monogram Biosciences, Inc. today announced that, effective July 15, the HERmark Breast Cancer Assay will be available to physicians throughout the U.S. for assessment of HER2 status in patients with breast cancer. HERmark provides a precise and quantitative measurement of HER2 total protein and HER2 homodimer levels and will be offered as a CLIA-validated assay through Monogram's CAP-certified clinical laboratory.

HERmark is a proprietary diagnostic that accurately quantifies HER2 total protein levels and HER2 homodimerization in patients with breast cancer. HERmark is a CLIA-validated assay that is performed exclusively in Monogram's CAP-certified clinical reference laboratory in South San Francisco. Robust, accurate, sensitive and reproducible measurements of HER2 status are reported to physicians with a turnaround time of 7 days.

Also AJC.com reports on Invitrogen's SPOTlight test: FDA Approves Genetic Test for Breast Cancer:

A genetic test to determine whether a breast cancer patient is likely to respond to treatment with the drug Herceptin (trastuzumab) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The SPOT-Light HER2 CISH kit helps calculate how many copies of the HER2 gene, which regulates the growth of cancer cells, are in tumor tissue. A healthy breast cell should have two copies of the HER2 gene, but patients with breast cancer may have many more. Since the gene signals cells when to grow, divide and make repairs, too many copies may cause cells to grow and divide too rapidly.

Both of these Her2 assays would seem to be competitors for conventional IHC analysis performed using microscopy and/or with a digital image analysis application.

Red wine could help prevent breast cancer

The Telegraph reports: Red wine could help prevent breast cancer.

Laboratory tests have shown that a chemical found in the skin of grapes could halt the development of most cases of the disease.

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women, and almost 45,000 cases are diagnosed in the UK every year.

Now scientists have found that a chemical called resveratrol, which is also found in blueberries, bilberries, cranberries and peanuts, can suppress the creation of tumour cells.

Well this is great news; among all the delightful and healthful reasons for drinking red wine, we can now add possible prevention of breast cancer.  I'll toast to that!

Costly Cancer Drug Offers Hope, but Also a Dilemma

This is pretty interesting, the NYTimes notes Costly Cancer Drug Offers Hope, but Also a Dilemma.

Looked at one way, Avastin, made by Genentech, is a wonder drug. Approved for patients with advanced lung, colon or breast cancer, it cuts off tumors’ blood supply, an idea that has tantalized science for decades. And despite its price, which can reach $100,000 a year, Avastin has become one of the most popular cancer drugs in the world, with sales last year of about $3.5 billion, $2.3 billion of that in the United States.

But there is another side to Avastin. Studies show the drug prolongs life by only a few months, if that. And some newer studies suggest the drug might be less effective against cancer than the Food and Drug Administration had understood when the agency approved its uses.

The question is unanswerable; how much is prolonging the life of a terminal cancer patient worth?  If you were in that position, you might say any amount.