The US FDA has just approved the first molecular-based laboratory test for detecting metastasized breast cancer: GeneSearch™ Breast Lymph Node (BLN) Assay.

Manufactured by Veridex (a Johnson & Johnson Company), GeneSearch™ BLN Assay detects molecules that are abundant in breast tissue but scarce in a normal lymph node.

The presence or absence of breast cancer cells in underarm lymph nodes is a powerful predictor of whether the cancer has spread and is used to help decide appropriate therapy for a woman with metastatic breast cancer.

Lymph nodes are part of the system that helps protect the body against infection. The first lymph node that filters fluid from the breast is called the "sentinel node," because that is where breast cancer cells are likely to spread first.

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