RICHMOND, British Columbia, July 8, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCurex Inc. (OTCBB:BOCX ) today announced its first set of results supporting the use of the BioCurex RECAF blood test to monitor cancer therapy. The test included samples from 27 human patients with early stages of breast cancer that were tested before and after surgery. As a control, 15 samples from healthy individuals were also tested.
The RECAF blood test detected 26 out of 27 patients as positive for breast cancer (sensitivity = 96%) and 14 out of 15 healthy individuals (93% specificity) were negative at the standard 4,700 RECAF Units cutoff. At a cutoff of 5,500 Units there were no false positives (all healthy individuals were negative thus the specificity of the test was 100%). At this higher cutoff, 24 out of 27 patients with early stages of breast cancer were still positive (sensitivity = 89%). These results are consistent with our previous findings (http://biocurex.com/news/news80.htm) and they indicate that the RECAF test can detect 9 out of 10 women with early stages of breast cancer while being negative in all healthy individuals.
The study also showed a significant drop in circulating RECAF for patients after surgery. The drop was most pronounced in those patients with the highest RECAF values before surgery. Samples taken after longer intervals following surgery exhibited the highest drops.
Dr. Ricardo Moro, BioCurex CEO stated, "These results clearly indicate that RECAF is increased in patients with early stages of breast cancer, and that RECAF decreases in those same patients after surgery. If the original cancer produced an excess of RECAF, its recurrence would also produce excessive RECAF and therefore be detectable with our RECAF test. Also, if 90% of early stage cancers are detectable, recurrence in those cases should also be detected early with the resulting benefit for the patient. These results are the first step in demonstrating that our blood test for cancer can be used to monitor therapy and follow-up treated patients for early detection of recurrence."
Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today (after lung cancer). According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 1.3 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year worldwide and approximately 460,000 die from the disease. Many of these deaths result from metastases that, if detected earlier, could be prevented. Breast cancer death rates have been dropping steadily since 1990, according to the American Cancer Society, because of earlier detection and better treatments.
"While RECAF's potential for cancer screening is important, the use of this marker for follow-up and monitoring of therapy is its most immediate application", stated Denis Burger, Ph.D., BioCurex Executive Chairman. "RECAF is a 'universal' cancer marker that detects most types of cancer and in follow-up applications, the primary cancer type is already known. Thus, this one test can be used to detect the recurrence of most cancers which is critical in our current, cost conscious healthcare environment. I believe that our RECAF test for monitoring the recurrence of most cancers, regardless of origin, would be the most favorable path for a timely FDA submission and approval."
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 Inverness Medical Innovations (NYSE:IMA). For further information on these agreements visit:
http://sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1092562/000100487808000117/sb2amnd4s1april08.txt.
For more information about BioCurex, please visit www.BioCurex.com.
For more information about OncoPet Diagnostics Inc., please visit:
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