IRVING, Texas, May 10, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Caris Life Sciences, Inc., a leading biosciences company focused on enabling precise and personalized healthcare through the highest quality anatomic pathology, molecular profiling, and blood-based diagnostic services, presented two podium presentations and five posters this week at the 2011 Digestive Disease Week (DDW) annual meeting. The findings resulted from a unique pathology offering, CarisPath, which provides gastroenterologists with precise diagnostic information for thousands of patients a day through academic-caliber pathology consults and state-of-the-art laboratory testing services.
A summary of podium presentations follows:
"High Yield of Lynch Syndrome Screening in Pre-Cancerous Colorectal Polyps: A Study of 898 Patients," shows that screening high grade dysplastic adenomas for DNA mismatch repair (MMR) protein expression identifies probable Lynch syndrome in 3% of patients, which allows appropriate diagnosis and management of these high risk individuals before the development of cancer.
"Size-Specific Prevalence of Colorectal Adenomas With High-Grade Dysplasia: Results from a Nationally Representative Sample With Implications for CT Colonography Practice," shows that while the prevalence of high-grade dysplasia (HGD) in adenomas was proportional to size, the absolute number of small adenoma biopsies with HGD was substantial enough that all adenomas should be tested for HGD despite studies suggesting small adenomas be ignored.
In addition to these podium presentations, Caris presented 5 posters:
"Prevalence of Rectal Carcinoid Tumors among Outpatient Colonoscopy Patients and the Utility of Immunohistochemistry for Definitive Diagnosis," evaluates how useful immunohistochemistry is in differentiating between rectal carcinoid tumors and its mimics.
"Sporadic Duodenal Adenomas are Associated with a Significant Risk for Colorectal Adenomas," shows that patients with sporadic duodenal adenoma are almost four times more likely to have colonic adenomas and almost three times more likely to have fundic gland polyps in the stomach than patients without duodenal adenomas.
"A Descriptive Analysis of Colorectal Carcinoma in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Seen Over a Three Year Period," supports the clinical recommendation to take more extensive biopsies in the distal colon in patients with ulcerative colitis during surveillance colonoscopies.
"Different Prevalence of Eosinophilic Esophagitis Within United States Climate Zones," supports the hypothesis that exposure to environmental antigens may play a significant role in the pathogenesis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), with cold, snowy climates showing significantly higher prevalence of EoE than warm tropical regions.
" Biopsy Practice Patterns and Diagnostic Yield in Cases of Suspected Eosinophilic Esophagitis in the United States," demonstrates that in cases of suspected Eosinophilic Esophagitis, when biopsies are submitted from multiple specified locations along the length of the esophagus vs. a single location, the positive diagnostic yield increases by two-fold with two biopsy sites and five-fold with three biopsy sites.
"At Caris, we are committed to furthering the understanding of gastrointestinal disease through our research," said Dr. Richard Lash, Chief Medical Officer. "We have a nationally recognized database, the strength of which arises not only from its tremendous size but due to the expertise and consensus-based language that characterizes its content. This approach ensures both that our subspecialty pathologists continue to develop intellectually and that we continue to attract the best talent in the field. Ultimately, this sophistication is translated to the gastroenterologists for whom we consult and the patients they treat. We are honored that we were able to again share our findings with our distinguished peers at Digestive Disease Week."
Caris is the world's largest outpatient GI pathology practice, examining well over 3,000 GI biopsies daily. This unparalleled access to biopsy samples provides Caris' pathologists with unique research and learning opportunities to evaluate unusual cases as well as to characterize common diseases in ways not previously possible. Most recently, Caris has integrated new molecular technologies into daily practice to ensure that physicians and patients have access to the most informative and relevant diagnostic information available.
About Caris Life Sciences
Caris Life Sciences, a leading biosciences company, specializes in the development and commercialization of the highest quality anatomic pathology, molecular profiling, and blood-based diagnostic technologies, in the fields of oncology, dermatopathology, hematopathology, gastrointestinal pathology and urologic pathology. The company provides academic-caliber consultations for thousands of patients a day, through its industry-leading team of expert, subspecialty pathologists. Caris also offers advanced molecular analyses of patient samples through prognostic testing services and genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic profiling to assist physicians in their treatment of cancer. Currently, Caris is developing a series of blood tests utilizing the patented Carisome™ platform — a proprietary, blood-based testing technology for diagnosis, prognosis, and theranosis of cancer and other complex diseases. The company is headquartered in the Dallas metroplex, and operates laboratories at the headquarters, as well as in the Phoenix and Boston metro areas.
CONTACT: Caris Life Sciences Media Inquiries: Holly Clark 214-596-7060 hclark@carisls.com