VENLO, The Netherlands, Nov. 10, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QIAGEN N.V. (Nasdaq:QGEN) (Frankfurt:QIA) today announced the launch of a new test to determine mutations of the K-ras gene. The K-ras gene is mutated in between 35 percent and 45 percent of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Studies have shown that K-ras testing can better define which CRC patients will benefit from treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibiting monoclonal antibodies, such as Amgen's Vectibix(r) (panitumumab) and Imclone/Bristol-Myers Squibb's Erbitux(r) (cetuximab).
