Major Breakthrough in the Fight against Cervical Cancer Presented at EUROGIN in Prague

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• Publié par: the-mww-group
• Nombre de lectures: 38
• Langue: English

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Major Breakthrough in the Fight against

Cervical Cancer Presented at EUROGIN in

Prague

PR Newswire

MENLO PARK, California, July 11, 2012

MENLO PARK, California

,

July 11, 2012

/PRNewswire/ -- Approximately 510,000

cases of cervical cancer are reported each year around the world, making it

the second leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide. Yet,

cervical cancer is treatable — and often curable — when detected in its early

stages. IncellDx, a

California

-based research company, has introduced a new

testing methodology called

HPV OncoTect

that measures a woman's

increased risk for future development of cervical cancer with remarkable

accuracy.

Virtually all cases of cervical cancer are caused by specific types of human

papillomavirus (HPV) and current testing methods detect only the presence and

type of HPV infection and cellular abnormalities caused by the virus.

OncoTect

goes further to not only detect cellular transformation caused by persistent

HPV infection, but also quantify the cancer causing genes found in the cells that

is the necessary precursor to the development of cervical cancer.

The new test was the focus of two independent clinical studies that sought to

compare the performance of

OncoTect

against other commercially available

tests. The results of these studies is being introduced to the international

medical community at EUROGIN 2012, one of the largest global forums for the

review of current scientific developments in the field of cervical cancer and

human papillomavirus related diseases.

The first study, conducted in

Greece

, evaluated the specificity of

HPV

OncoTect

against the commonly utilized HPV DNA test. After analyzing 4,000

cervical cell samples, researchers found that

OncoTect

significantly increases

specificity for high grade cervical disease compared to HPV DNA genotyping

while maintaining the sensitivity of commonly used HPV DNA tests. If a test has

high specificity, a positive result from the test means a high probability of the

presence of disease.

Italian researchers conducted a second study to compare

OncoTect

with a

competitive product called NucliSens EasyQ . Their results showed that while

NucliSens EasyQ did identify the presence of cancer causing genes, the clinical

significance of the findings are limited because it does not measure the extent

of the cellular changes that led to disease in addition to showing lower

sensitivity compared to OncoTect.

IncellDx also has been invited to present new data at EUROGIN 2012 on the

next generation of the

HPV OncoTect

test – called

OncoTect 3Dx

, which uses

the newest cancer screening technology that incorporates morphology of slides

with molecular biomarkers in a single high throughput assay thus eliminating

ambiguous pap results. The new technology further improves the test's ability

to distinguish between benign infection and the cell changes that can lead to

the development of cancer. In addition, this technology does not rely on a glass

slide, thus reducing the cost and time taken to complete the test significantly.

More than 2,000 healthcare professionals are attending EUROGIN 2012, held

this year in

Prague, Czech Republic

, from July 8-11. The event seeks to

accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into day-to-day medical

practice.

Until now, HPV diagnostic testing could identify only the presence and type of

HPV, but could not predict if the infection would clear up or likely progress to

cancer.

OncoTect

is an important diagnostic tool, helping doctors know when

more aggressive testing is needed – and also to feel confident when "wait and

see" is the best approach. Traditionally, when a woman tests positive for high

risk HPV infection, her doctor performs a colposcopy, a magnified examination

of the cervix in which biopsy samples are taken.

OncoTect

will help determine

when colposcopies are medically unnecessary.

OncoTect

is

an important breakthrough for women because:

It accurately detects the presence of cell changes due to persistent HPV infection,

enabling physicians to distinguish between benign infection and precancerous disease.

An accurate diagnosis will reduce unnecessary testing

Sample cells are collected from the cervix in the same manner as a pap test with

virtually no discomfort.

It can be administered during one office visit -- often at the same time as a pap test.

The test has a fast turn-around time, similar to an HPV DNA test.

About IncellDx, Inc.

IncellDx, Inc. is a molecular diagnostics company dedicated to the detection

and monitoring of life threatening diseases such as cervical cancer, breast

cancer, HIV/AIDs, hepatitis, and organ transplant rejection.