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news.Quest Diagnostics has introduced a molecular cervical cancer test based on National Institutes of Health's TERC gene marker to identify molecular changes to cervical cells that increase the chance of a woman to develop cervical cancer.
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The cervical cancer TERC test helps identify women with high chance of developing malignancy if not treated.
Quest Diagnostics cancer diagnostics services medical director Daniel Jones said that testing for abnormalities of the TERC gene is based on the scientific knowledge available of the molecular changes that turn cervical dysplasia into malignancy.
"It can potentially act like a ‘second opinion’ for the thousands of women whose Pap and HPV test results produce an indeterminate picture of cancer risk each year," Jones added.
The new test detects abnormal changes to the TERC gene and chromosome 3 to provide a risk assessment of progression to cervical cancer in women who receive indeterminate Pap and/or HPV test results, according to Quest.
TERC results help categorize risk in abnormal Pap tests earlier to colposcopy, a procedure to visually inspect cellular changes.
NIH the office of technology transfer director Mark Rohrbaugh said, "The widespread availability of the TERC test through Quest Diagnostics achieves this goal because it has the potential to improve the prediction of cervical cancer risk for many women."