RICHMOND, British Columbia, April 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- BioCurex, Inc. (Pink Sheets:BOCX) announced today that it had completed a study in which its RECAF blood test detected 92% of cervical cancers using a drop of blood. The specificity of the test was 95.7%. The study included 25 cervical cancer blood samples and 69 normal blood samples. Currently, there is no commercial blood test available for the detection of cervical cancer.
The National Cancer Institute reports a sensitivity of 55-88% for detecting high-grade lesions using a traditional Pap test (http://cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/cervical/HealthProfessional/page5). (Certain changes in the diagnostic criteria -- combinations of reference thresholds -- may increase the Pap sensitivity to 70-80% with 95% specificity).
The 2005 estimated market size for Pap smears is $1 billion for 2005 (See Note). The diagnosis is performed under the microscope using vaginal material.
Dr. Ricardo Moro, BioCurex's CEO stated, "We are very satisfied with these findings which are in line with our previous results for detecting other types of cancers. The accumulation of positive results strongly suggests that RECAF is expressed by all types of cancer thus lending additional support to the idea of using this cancer marker for routine cancer screening. A RECAF test performed on blood collected for other routine clinical analysis would likely prove much cheaper than the traditional pap test, which currently involves a gynecologist to extract the sample as well as a pathologist (or a sophisticated artificial intelligence system) to read the results. Another very important application for Biocurex's blood test is to improve the follow-up screening of patients who have been operated on for cervical cancer; recurrence of the cancer or its metastases could be detected early by periodically monitoring the blood levels of RECAF, thereby significantly enhancing the chances of patient survival."
About cervical cancer:
Worldwide, cervical cancer claims around 190,000 lives annually, and is the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, the estimated number of women who will be diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer in 2005 is approximately 10,370 in the United States alone. About 3,710 women, the same source states, will die from cervical cancer.
About BioCurex:
BioCurex, Inc. is a biotechnology company that is developing products based on patented/proprietary technology in the areas of cancer diagnosis, imaging and therapeutics. The technology identifies a cancer marker known as RECAFtm, which is found on malignant cells from a variety of cancer types but is absent in most normal or benign cells. To find out more about BioCurex (BOCX), visit our website at www.biocurex.com.
Additional Information:
The Company has not authorized the release of this information in any form that contravenes the Communication Act and will not be responsible for unsolicited massive distribution of this material by e-mail or facsimile by unauthorized parties. Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning given to that term in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company intends that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Since these statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results.
Note: The Worldwide Market for Cancer Diagnostics, Nov. 2002 by Kalorama Information, a division of marketresearch.com.