RICHMOND, British Columbia, Sept. 8, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCurex Inc. (OTCBB:BOCX) today announced results indicating that its RECAF blood test for cancer can prevent 70% of unnecessary prostate biopsies.
In a study to be presented at the ISOBM (International Society of Oncology and Biomarkers) annual meeting in October, BioCurex compared the performance of RECAF and free-PSA to discriminate prostate cancer from benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), a common benign condition that requires no surgical treatment. The RECAF test outperformed the established free-PSA test by approximately 600% in its ability to prevent unnecessary prostate biopsies.
Men over 50 years of age are screened with PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) for prostate cancer. PSA is secreted by the prostate but it is not specific for cancer and therefore benign prostate conditions also show elevated PSA. As a result, two thirds of prostate biopsies are cancer negative and are not necessary.
A prostate biopsy is obtained by inserting 6-12 needles into the prostate. The most common procedure is carried out from the rectum following an enema and antibiotic coverage, using ultrasound for guidance. Discomfort, bleeding and infection are the most common complications. Thus, it is important to minimize the number of unnecessary biopsies while still detecting the highest possible number of cancer cases.
To reduce unwanted biopsies, the "free-PSA" test was developed and approved by the FDA. PSA circulates "free" as well as attached to other proteins. In the 1990's, the percentage of free-PSA was shown to be somehow lower in cancer patients than in patients with benign conditions. Unfortunately, the number of unnecessary biopsies prevented by the free-PSA test is only 11-28% as shown in the approved FDA applications from large diagnostic companies.
The BioCurex study was done using blinded samples from two different sources and showed that FDA approved free-PSA tests would have reduced unnecessary biopsies by 11%, whereas the RECAF test, used on the same samples, would have reduced the number of unwanted biopsies by approximately 70% while detecting a comparable percentage of cancers.
The potential commercial impact of these results is very significant, because this is a very specific application for which there is a pressing need and which is not currently addressed in an adequate fashion.
The standard PSA blood test costs between $20 and $60. The free-PSA blood test costs about $100. Medicare and most health insurers typically cover PSA tests for men over 50. It is estimated that in the USA alone - which represents 5% of the worldwide population - over 1.5 million men are eligible for a free-PSA test and therefore also for a RECAF test.
Dr. Moro, BioCurex CEO stated: "We already knew that RECAF outperformed PSA to detect early stages of prostate cancer. These new results indicate that RECAF can be successfully used together with PSA to detect prostate cancer while decreasing dramatically the number of false positives when compared to FDA approved free-PSA tests. Using this combination, we can get the organ specificity of PSA (we know the lesion is in the prostate) with the high specificity of RECAF for cancer. The result can reduce unnecessary prostate biopsies by 2/3 compared to less than 30% for free-PSA FDA approved tests. We are very excited because we have received a very positive response from a number of prospect licensees and strategic alliance partners to whom we have shown these results. This is a very substantial market niche because there are about 50 million standard PSA tests done every year and while not all of them receive a free PSA test, the cost of the latter is over $100 a piece."
About BioCurex, Inc.
BioCurex, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is developing products based on patented and proprietary technology in the area of cancer diagnostics. The technology identifies a universal cancer marker known as RECAF.
RECAF is a molecule that is present on cancer cells but not detected in significant levels on healthy cells or benign tumor cells. It is the receptor for alpha-fetoprotein and is classified as an oncofetal antigen due to its presence on both fetal and malignant tissues. This characteristic makes RECAF a more accurate indicator of cancer than most current tumor markers.
BioCurex is commercializing its technology through licensing arrangements with companies that develop and market diagnostic tests for the large automated clinical laboratory setting, through development and marketing of non-automated clinical laboratory tests, through development of rapid, point-of-care test formats, and through marketing of its OncoPet RECAF test for cancer in companion animals.
BioCurex has signed licensing agreements for its cancer detection blood tests with Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) and with Alere (NYSE:ALR), formerly Inverness Medical Innovations.
For further information on these agreements visit:
http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1092562/000100487808000117/sb2amnd4s1april08.txt.
For more information about the Company, please visit www.BioCurex.com.
For more information about OncoPet Diagnostics Inc., please visit:
www.OncoPetDiagnostics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
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