LOS ANGELES (October 17, 2016) – A study from Gundersen Health System, La Crosse, Wisconsin, reveals to the value of blood-based genomic and proteomic testing in patients with lung cancer at the time of initial diagnoses. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) refers to a group of cancers that share common characteristics but have different genetic features that make them more or less responsive to specific treatments. In this study, genomic and proteomic testing of blood specimens rapidly identified genetic mutations that determined optimal, personalized treatment. Compared with testing of biopsy specimens, the blood tests yielded both important diagnostic information much faster (within 72 hours) regardless of disease stage, and significantly decreasing the wait period between diagnoses and the start of treatment.