RICHMOND, British Columbia, June 8, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCurex Inc. (OTCBB:BOCX) today announced the publication of the article entitled: "Combination of CA125 and RECAF biomarkers for early detection of ovarian cancer" in a peer reviewed scientific journal specialized in cancer markers.
Ovarian cancer is called the silent killer because most patients have no symptoms until the tumor becomes very large and it has already spread. The majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced disease (stages III/IV), in which only 20% or less can be cured, placing ovarian cancer as the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women.
On the other hand, when detected in early stages (I and II), cancer of the ovary can be cured in 90% of the cases. Thus, developing screening tools for early detection of ovarian cancer is crucial to reduce its mortality rate. The major problem in developing these tools is the presence of false positives which can supersede, many times in number, the amount of cancers detected. Sorting out those false positives is very expensive and therefore a good screening tool must not only detect as many early cancers as possible but also yield a low number of false positives.
The article shows that the RECAF + CA125 test combination detects ¾ of ovarian cancer stages I & II with no false positives, thus providing, for the first time, a blood test with potential for ovarian cancer screening. It should be noted that while in the USA there are only 22,000 women diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year, the number of women to be screened periodically is very large.
In addition to the results obtained in early stages, the study also showed that using the test combination on patients with late stages (III and IV) of ovarian cancer - at which most patients are currently diagnosed – detects 88% of cancers, again, with no false positives. This is important because the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society of Gynecologic Oncologists issued a recommendation that patients be referred to a gynecological oncologist when specific indicators of malignancy are present. The surgical outcome is better when the surgeon is a specialist and therefore knowing if the patient has cancer before surgery is crucial. This is the FDA approved use of the OVA1tm test combination offered by Vermillion® and Quest Diagnostics® for $650.
One of the manuscript's peer reviewers commented: "I find it a compelling story and well documented." Another reviewer added: "[The manuscript] presents interesting data regarding tumor markers and ovarian cancer. The absence of false positives is impressive and the suggested procedure could improve both monitoring and screening of this disease. It is a pleasure to accept it."
The full article can be found at:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/y662152100073x41/
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 (NYSE:IMA).
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
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.