EDX Medical Group plc (AQSE:EDX), which develops innovative digital diagnostic products and services supporting personalised treatments for cancer, cardiovascular and infectious diseases, has announced the commercial launch in the UK of a new and comprehensive testing service that improves the early detection of bowel cancer.
The BC95 service, which will be available within the next few weeks, increases the accuracy of testing and includes an assessment of the patient’s hereditary risk of bowel cancer. It is the most advanced and accurate testing solution to be offered in the UK with sensitivities in excess of 95% across stages 1 to 4 of bowel cancer. The EDX Medical BC95 bowel cancer service provides an analysis of a comprehensive panel of hereditary genetic risks, plus the most reliable early detection test and a reference test for faecal haemoglobin, enabling comparison to current NHS practice.
Bowel, or colorectal, cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In the UK alone, there are 44,000 new cases each year. Someone contracts bowel cancer every 10 minutes and every 30 minutes someone dies from the disease. 75% of all newly diagnosed cases are missed by current screening methods.
The BC95 service comprises a suite of diagnostic tests, that can be selected for individual patient needs. The testing service uses faecal and blood or saliva samples to examine a range of important biomarkers clinically validated for the detection of bowel cancer, pre-cancerous adenomas and an assessment of hereditary genetic risk. The results from the various tests are returned to the patient’s designated healthcare provider or doctor for clinical follow-up.
The hereditary risk assessment test is performed for men and women of any age with or without symptoms to guide lifestyle choices or to enable preventative engagement with blood relatives in cases where cancer is already confirmed. It is based on analysis of variations in the 23 genes known to be most strongly associated with bowel or colorectal cancer, and includes full pre and post-test genetic counselling and support for patients and their healthcare provider. For those individuals with a family history and identifiable genetic risk, this test can guide lifestyle choices as well as guide the frequency of surveillance and early detection testing.
EDX Medical has developed the unique testing service following an agreement with Genomictree of South Korea, to include the first in the UK, epigenetic, colorectal cancer (CRC) biomarker test; EarlyTect® -C that measures aberrant SDC2 (Syndecan 2 gene) promoter region methylation, a marker that is frequently observed in early-stage colorectal cancer tissues. It is the most sensitive and accurate epigenetic biomarker test for colorectal cancer currently available on the UK market.
In a cohort of 1124 asymptomatic patients with an overall disease incidence of 1.8%, the test has been shown to have an average sensitivity of 95% for detecting colorectal cancer across stages 1- 4, with exceptionally high sensitivity (89.1%2 ) for detecting early-stage cancers (stage 0-2). The test even detects pre-cancerous advanced adenomatous polyps with a sensitivity of 58.1%1 making it a particularly useful tool for monitoring those known to have an increased risk of cancer due to hereditary genetics or lifestyle.
The BC95 service also incorporates currently available test methods such as qFIT, providing additional information allowing clinicians to accurately guide further diagnostic interventions such as colonoscopy or CT colonography.
Professor Sir Chris Evans, founder of EDX Medical, commented: “We are delighted to be providing a service in the UK that will take the testing for early-stage bowel cancer to a new level in terms of accuracy and reliability.
“The various elements of our service provide a comprehensive testing package that will not only improve vital early detection but also highlight hereditary risk.”
Dr Mike Hudson, chief executive officer, EDX Medical, commented: “There is growing demand for highly accurate testing solutions for the early detection of bowel and colon cancer in the UK, where missed or late detection of the disease remains a significant cause of premature death. Our new service provides diagnostic tools which enable an assessment of hereditary risk and reliable, early detection when treatment options and outcomes for patients are most favourable.”
In colorectal cancer, patient outcomes, principally five-year survival, are closely linked to the stage at which the disease is diagnosed: Patients diagnosed at stage 1 have a 90% five-year survival rate. For patients diagnosed at stage 2, the five-year survival figure is 85%. This figure drops dramatically if patients are diagnosed with later-stage disease. Figures for five-year survival at stage 4 are 10% or lower. This stark statistic emphasises the benefits of early detection and thus the importance of effective screening and detection technologies.
Improved early detection and characterisation, including knowledge of hereditary genetic risks, is considered to be the most impactful area for cost-effectively improving patient outcomes.
