CCC Diagnostis Inc. Launches Improved Test for Breast Cancer Treatment

BALTIMORE, MD, January 12, 2011 (Press-News.org) CCC Diagnostics, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, announced today that it has launched the DirectHitTM Test Panel for Breast Cancer, a vastly improved diagnostic test for breast cancer treatment that accurately predicts the tumor's response to four commonly prescribed classes of anti-cancer drugs.

Prior to the launch of DirectHit, there were only two tests that could predict the tumor's responsiveness to chemotherapy and hormone treatment: the HER-2/neu receptor test (testing responsiveness to the anticancer drug Trastuzumab), and the Estrogen Receptor Test (testing responsiveness to hormone treatment). Because drugs can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration for market with only a 20%-30% probability of being effective, the existence of only these two tests has left physicians with a difficult challenge in prescribing a drug that would be effective and less toxic for each individual cancer patient.

John Hughes, President and CEO of CCC Diagnostics, states, "Our new DirectHit Test Panel is the only test which can predict the responsiveness to two additional classes of chemotherapy drugs, taxanes and 5-FU. In addition, DirectHit significantly increases the predictive accuracy (85-90%) of the estrogen receptor test and accurately delivers the HER-2/neu test."

"Given the crucial time window for effective breast cancer therapy, our new test panel is a significant step forward for physicians and their patients because the treatment will now have a higher probability of affecting the tumor," says David A. Van Echo, M.D., CCC Diagnostic's Medical Director.

The new test panel also will result in significant cost savings because physicians will be able to customize treatment regimens for patients, eliminating ineffective drugs that would have otherwise been prescribed. Patients will avoid the side effects of the ineffective drugs as well.

"No longer must one breast cancer treatment fit all," says Mr. Hughes, which should be welcome news for physicians and their patients.

CCC Diagnostics, Inc. actively integrates discoveries in diagnostic, therapeutic and information technologies to create innovative approaches to cancer disease management and to enhance the quality of life for cancer patients. Our strategy is to provide effective, personalized chemotherapy treatment recommendations, increasing life quality and decreasing cost through appropriate drug choice.