Switzerland-based Roche has introduced new Progastrin-releasing peptide (ProGRP) test, Elecsys ProGRP, for precise differentiation of small cell (SCLC) and non-small cell (NSCLC) lung cancer and diagnosis of early-stage SCLC.
Used with serum or plasma, the ProGRP test facilitates combined application with neuron-specific enolase (NSE) from a single sample tube and measuring both ProGRP and NSE enhances diagnostic accuracy.
ProGRP is a biomarker overexpressed in SCLC and occurs in elevated levels primarily in the blood of patients with this form of lung cancer.
Roche Diagnostics division COO Roland Diggelmann said patients with SCLC have usually been diagnosed only after the disease reaches advanced stage, when the chances of a cure are very low.
"ProGRP meets a medical need for more precise diagnosis, supporting medical decision making and helping healthcare professionals to improve patient outcomes," Diggelmann added.
