Panacea Laboratories
207 Perry Parkway
Suite #2
Gaithersburg, MD 20877
T: 240-404-9045
F: 240-465-0450

Breast Cancer Surveillance

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. 40,460 American women will die of this disease this year. Although screening mammograms have made it easier to detect breast cancer in its early stages, many women are diagnosed with breast cancer only after it has spread regionally (31%) or distantly (26.7%). Despite treatment, most patients with distant disease have a recurrence and a significant number of patients with regional disease also have a recurrence. Current widely-accepted guidelines for surveillance for recurrent disease are: for patients with no evidence of cancer after local and adjuvant treatment, a physical exam every 4-6 months, and a mammogram every 6-12 months for the first 5 years and less frequently thereafter; and for patients suspected of having recurrent disease extensive blood, radiolographic and nuclear medicine tests.

Panacea Laboratories has developed a test to measure HAAH levels in serum. This test aids in the detection of recurrent breast cancer.

BC Detect^sm

BC Detect^sm is a laboratory test for surveillance for recurrent breast cancer. It works by measuring serum levels of Human Aspartyl (Asparaginyl) β-Hydroxylase (HAAH). HAAH levels are significantly elevated in women with breast cancer compared to levels in cancer-free women. HAAH levels are elevated in the serum of women with stage I, II, III and IV breast but not in the serum of most patients in complete remission.

BC Detect^sm provides additional information about the probability that a woman with a history of breast cancer has a recurrence. It is recommended every 4-6 months for women who have completed local and adjuvant treatment as well as promptly after the treating physician suspects recurrence. Only a physician can order BC Detect^sm. Results should be interpreted by the physician in conjunction with results from standard-of-care surveillance. Its use should facilitate early detection of recurrent disease, which, in turn, should result in prompt initiation of appropriate therapy.