Molecular lab launches genomic testing for personalized cancer care

Members of the molecular diagnostic lab, from left, Doug Hebert, Ph.D., John Larrimore, Kathryn Navia, and Thuy Phung, M.D., Ph.D., worked to launch a new genomic oncology test.

USA Health's molecular diagnostic laboratory recently launched a genomic test for cancer patients that allows oncologists to tailor treatments based on the specific gene mutations in their patients’ tumors.  

After a patient’s tumor is biopsied, the tissue sample is tested in the molecular diagnostic lab to determine which type of pathogenic gene mutation is present in the cancer. Processing the tissue samples in house means patients receive results more quickly and can start the appropriate treatment earlier than if the tissue samples were sent to an outside laboratory. For patients with aggressive cancers, starting treatment quickly is key to achieving the best possible outcomes. 

“This is precision medicine,” said Thuy Phung, M.D., Ph.D., director of molecular genetic pathology and dermatopathology at USA Health. “We employ state-of-the-art, next-generation sequencing technology to determine what type of mutation the cancer has, so oncologists can determine the best course of action.”  

Kathy Navia, a pathology medical technologist, and Doug

Hebert, Ph.D., a pathology molecular medical scientist,

run a test in the molecular lab.

The test – called the OncSeq Solid Tumor NGS Assay – detects genomic alterations in solid tumor samples and evaluates the mutation status of tumor DNA in about 40 well-known cancer-associated genes simultaneously. This assay focuses on gene mutations that can be addressed by current FDA-approved cancer therapies and detects indications for solid tumors, such as non-small cell lung cancer, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, melanoma, pancreatic, colorectal, endometrial and brain tumors. 

Phung, who also is a professor of pathology at the Whiddon College of Medicine, led the project. In addition to starting appropriate cancer treatment sooner, Phung said it is significant that USA Health as an academic health system has the capability to perform genomic testing in our own lab.   

“When we send the tissue to an outside lab, we don’t have access to the data – the genetic sequence,” she said. “This information is very important for retrospective and prospective research and education.”   

Phung credits the support of John Marymont, M.D., MBA, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine; and Guillermo Herrera, M.D., chair of the Department of Pathology; as well as members of the molecular lab, John Larrimore, Kathy Navia, and Doug Hebert, Ph.D., for making this achievement possible. 

For more information about the new test and ordering, contact the lab at molecularlab@health.southalabama.edu.