A New Molecular Test Advances Personalized Diagnosis
and Treatment for Patients with Brain Tumors
A new molecular test for the gene isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) is useful for patients that have uncertainty in the neuropathological diagnosis of their brain biopsies. A brain biopsy consists of only a few hundred cells and may show non-specific features that can make the diagnosis of tumor or non-tumor (called "reactive changes") challenging. The diagnosis and treatment planning in patients with brain tumors improved as a result of new molecular findings that link two gene mutations (IDH 1 & IDH 2) to certain types of brain tumors. The UPMC Molecular Anatomic Pathology Lab was the first lab in the country to launch this test clinically. If the patient’s biopsy shows that a positive IDH result, this means that the patient definitely has a tumor and is likely to respond to chemotherapy leading to longer survival. If the test is negative, it means that the cells are likely not tumorigenic, and the patient is closely monitored.
In the picture, from left to right: Geeta Mantha, Cindy Trusky, Angela Harter, Nicole Parrish, Holly Lorenz and Megan Miller.
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