RICHMOND, British Columbia, April 11, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- BioCurex Inc. (Pink Sheets:BOCX) announced today that its RECAF blood test for cancer is able to detect very early stages of breast cancer with a high degree of accuracy.
The study was blinded in that the actual diagnosis was not disclosed to BioCurex until after the test was performed. All samples were verified as early stage cancers -- Stage I and Stage II. (There are four stages of cancer identifying the progression of the disease)
The table below shows the Sensitivity values with a specificity of 100% against normal patient samples (100% specificity means no false positives).
Cancer Stage(a) SENSITIVITY SPECIFICITY SAMPLES ------------ ----------- ----------- ------- Stage I 90% 100% 42 Stage II 93% 100% 45
Dr. Moro, President, stated: "We are very pleased with the data presented, which are consistent with previous results obtained on tissue sections. The results unequivocally illustrate the potential RECAF has to offer for early cancer detection and we anticipate that the results for other cancer types will be consistent with these findings reported for breast cancer. This level of accuracy is particularly significant for a screening test since early detection is the key when it comes to fighting cancer.
"Previous reports have demonstrated the ability of RECAF to detect many types of cancer from tissue biopsy specimens and blood tests due to the presence of RECAF receptor on the surface of malignant cells, but not normal cells. However, using blood samples of verified early stage cancers, we can now further delineate the value of RECAF for the world population in a humanistic and economic fashion."
The following statistics illustrate the importance of early diagnosis in relation to the outcome of breast cancer: Patients diagnosed at Stage I have a 5 year survival of 87%. At Stage II the 5 year survival rate is still high (75%). Survival drops to 46% when the patient is diagnosed at Stage III and at Stage IV it is only 13% (b). It is well known that the costs to treat an early stage cancer are significantly less and the survival rate is much higher when a cancer is detected early.
The current standard for breast cancer screening is mammography. In the USA, the sensitivity of mammography to detect cancer is approximately 65-75% with 90% specificity (i.e. with 10% of false positives) (c). Medicare pays $135 for a digital mammogram and $85 for film (d).
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 therapy. The technology identifies a cancer marker known as RECAF(tm), which is found on malignant cells from a variety of cancer types but is absent in most normal or benign cells.
BioCurex has signed a licensing agreement with Abbott Laboratories for BioCurex's RECAF(tm) Cancer technology. Studies from the investigators at BioCurex and elsewhere have reported a high level of clinical sensitivity and specificity for RECAF in many of the most common cancers, including prostate, breast, colorectal, lung and others.
To read more about the Company, please visit the News section in our web site (www.biocurex.com).
Note:
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.
(a) Breast cancer staging (Source: Oncolink http://www.oncolink.com/types/article.cfm?c=3&s=5&ss=33&id=8320):
-- Stage I: Early stage breast cancer where the tumor is less that
2 cm across and hasn't spread beyond the breast
-- Stage II: Early stage breast cancer where the tumor is either
less than 2 cm across and has spread to the lymph nodes under
the arm; or the tumor is between 2 and 5 cm (with or without
spread to the lymph nodes under the arm); or the tumor is greater
than 5 cm and hasn't spread outside the breast
-- Stage III: Locally advanced breast cancer where the tumor is
greater than 5 cm across and has spread to the lymph nodes under
the arm; or the cancer is extensive in the underarm lymph nodes;
or the cancer has spread to lymph nodes near the breastbone or
to other tissues near the breast
-- Stage IV: Metastatic breast cancer where the cancer has spread
outside the breast to other organs in the body
(b) Pathologic Basis of Disease Robbins, Sixth Edition Published by W.B. Saunders Company, 1999.
(c) Improving the Accuracy of Mammography: Volume and Outcome Relationships. Esserman L, Cowley H, Eberle C, Kirkpatrick A, Chang S, Berbaum K, Gale A. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2002 Mar 6;94(5):321-3.
(d) Dr. E. Pisano in "Digital Mammograms are Better, but Scarce", USA Today Posted 9/18/2005 (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/discoveries/2005-09-18-digital-mammograms-better_x.htm).