Does a Gene Expression Test Help Identify Patients with Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease?

Diagnosing obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) without the use of invasive procedures or exposure to radiation and contrast agents remains a clinical challenge. In a multicenter, prospective trial, investigators used gene expression testing to analyze blood samples from nondiabetic patients scheduled to undergo coronary angiography. Risk for obstructive CAD (defined as atherosclerotic plaque causing ≥50% stenosis in one or more major coronary arteries) was scored according to an algorithm developed by the study sponsor.

The primary endpoint was the area under the receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve for the algorithm's prediction of obstructive CAD. The authors used the Diamond-Forrester risk score, based on age, sex, and che…