ARUP Laboratories of Salt Lake City will soon begin administering a new blood monitoring test for mesothelioma patients. Beginning February 26, 2007, doctors treating patients diagnosed with mesothelioma – a rare form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure – can send patients’ blood samples for testing to the laboratories, which are located at the University of Utah.
The MESOMARK blood test, developed by Fujirebio Diagnostics, is designed to monitor mesothelioma patients’ response to chemotherapy and other treatments and to watch for recurrence of the cancer after surgery. The test was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in January 2007. Doctors will be able to use the test together with other information to monitor mesothelioma patients’ progress and check for disease progression.
