Quest Diagnostics 2001 Annual Report Download - page 9

For example, routine periodic screening of people with
diabetes can identify kidney disease in time to cure it,
before the need for dialysis ever arises. Yet only a small
fraction of diabetics receive a simple microalbumin test.
Doctors order tests to select treatment options and
monitor treatment of patients. Sensitive gene-based tests
help physicians prescribe the most effective combination
of therapies for patients with HIV/ AIDS or hepatitis C.
A new gene-based glaucoma test helps ophthalmologists
identify high-risk patients likely to benefit from the most
aggressive treatment. The test is performed exclusively
by Quest Diagnostics, which co-developed the test
with InSite Vision.
Science and technology are moving rapidly in the new
field of predictive medicine. Increasingly, your genetic
information is enabling healthcare providers to anticipate
and reduce potential health risks long before they
become a problem. As the leader in gene-based testing,
with revenues of approximately $275 million, growing
at an annual rate of more than 20%, Quest Diagnostics
is expanding predictive test offerings, starting with tests
for genetic diseases that let prospective parents know
if they are carrying a gene that could put their future
children at risk. During 2001, the American College
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists issued a broad
recommendation that most couples contemplating
pregnancy receive routine screening for cystic fibrosis
(CF), a disease caused by a defective gene carried by
10 million Americans. This newly recommended genetic
screening test joins others that are now a part of a
comprehensive menu of pre-natal care testing offered
by Quest Diagnostics.
Diagnostic tests help identify,
treat and monitor disease.
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Photomicroscopic image of cancerous cells. Lab technician reviews results.