PITTSBURGH & ALISO VIEJO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Amidst an estimated 70 percent increase in cancer diagnosis in the next two decades and an estimated 1.41 million misdiagnoses of cancer, healthcare providers and patients today face significant challenges. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 To help combat this issue, GE Healthcare (NYSE: GE) announced a strategic collaboration between its digital pathology joint venture, Omnyx, LLC, and its industry-leading diagnostic laboratory services company, Clarient Diagnostic Services, Inc.

Clarient will soon begin to integrate the Omnyx™ proprietary software platform into its current laboratory. By combining the advanced molecular analysis of Clarient with Omnyx’s software, the pathology community will have a data-rich pool of imaging enhancing the collaboration and gaining insights for more individualized cancer therapy.

Despite their efforts in analyzing these deadly diseases, pathologists are just beginning to benefit from the use of digital solutions. Typically, the field has relied on a microscope and shipping glass slides to get a second opinion. New findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)7 indicate that the accuracy of the pathologic interpretation of breast biopsies is inadequately understood. The result of this goes beyond just breast cancer misdiagnoses – studies show a 10 percent error rate in pathology is not uncommon.2-5
“The clinical reality is that fighting cancer begins with an accurate diagnosis,” said Kenneth J. Bloom, MD, chief medical officer of Clarient. “Cancer diagnosis and treatment is most effective as it becomes more personalized – and that means the role of the pathologist is crucial. By teaming up with Omnyx, we are helping to ensure that regardless of location or the size of the pathology lab in your hospital, a pathologist has a network that can discuss and help them identify the characteristics of a tumor, and offer more personalized diagnoses and treatments.”

Studies show a second opinion or collaborating with the care team has the potential to improve diagnosis and treatment for nearly one in 10 patients.8, 9 Working together, Omnyx and Clarient will create a central resource of diagnostic technologies, including molecular signatures, bio-markers and precision analytics, so pathologists can help better identify trends and collaborate with one another to compare readings.

“As pathologists take on greater workloads, the emerging field of digital pathology allows them to review cases jointly, more quickly and more accurately thanks to collaborative input from peers across the globe,” said Mamar Gelaye, CEO of Omnyx. “Our Clarient and Omnyx alliance will provide pathologists with state-of-the art testing and diagnostic services to bring digital solutions as a mainstream offering in the healthcare world.”

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