RICHMOND, British Columbia, Oct. 11, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCurex Inc. (OTCBB:BOCX) today announced that the Company believes it is positioned to solve the most pressing issues that have led to a U.S. government-backed panel recommending against routine prostate cancer screening using the PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test. The panel concluded that the PSA test used for widespread screening for the prostate cancer causes more harm than good.
In extensive studies done over the last several years, the Company's RECAF cancer marker blood test has been shown to detect approximately 70% of stage I, 76% of stage II, 90% of stage III, and 100% of stage IV prostate cancers all with very high specificity. By contrast, in early stages, the PSA test detects significantly lowers percentages of cancers and is very poor (about 50% accurate) at distinguishing an enlarged prostate (Benign Prostate Hyperplasia, BPH) from prostate cancer.
Currently, men over 50 years of age are screened with PSA 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.
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 a specialized PSA test referred to as the free-PSA ratio to discriminate prostate cancer from 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.
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.
The recent BioCurex study was done using blinded samples from two different sources and showed that the used 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.
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
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.