The City of Mission, Texas, authorized IvyGene blood tests — from the Laboratory for Advanced Medicine (now Helio Genomics) — to screen its firefighters for colon, liver, and lung cancer.
The City of Mission, Texas, authorized the purchase of IvyGene tests — a blood test developed by the Laboratory for Advanced Medicine (LAM), the company that would become Helio Genomics — to screen its firefighters for the presence of certain cancers, including colon, liver and lung cancer.
“We’re doing this for the firefighters obviously because of their working environment and what they have to deal with every day.”
The move followed the case of local firefighter Homer Salinas, and reflected a broader effort by the city to do more for its firefighters — who, under Texas law (Chapter 607 of the Texas Government Code), are presumed to have developed certain cancers as a result of their employment. The city arranged a discounted price of $375 per test for each of its 67 full-time firefighters who chose to participate, with tests overseen by a local physician, Dr. Mario Anzaldua. While the test can detect the presence of some cancers, it is not a diagnosis; if disease is detected, the physician makes a referral.
Source: City of Mission, Texas. Read the full article.