EDX Medical Group plc (AQSE:EDX), which develops innovative digital diagnostic products and services supporting personalised treatments for cancer, cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases, has announced the Company has commenced marketing the TC100 testicular cancer testing service, the most advanced ever available in the UK, and a key commercial milestone for the Company.
The TC100 service is based on a simple blood sample which is taken by a health professional and sent for laboratory analysis.
The service encompasses a range of biomarkers that enable the detection of very early signs of the disease in a small blood sample, allowing healthcare professionals to confirm the presence or absence of testicular cancer in men from a range of ethnicities and ages with ultra-high accuracy. Testicular cancer can be treated very successfully if detected early.
The TC 100 testing service includes unique micro-RNA biomarker reporting alongside the classic three serum biomarkers AFP – Alpha-fetoprotein, HCG – Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin and LDH – Lactate Dehydrogenase, included in the NHS testicular cancer treatment pathway.
Because of its high sensitivity and reliability, the TC 100 service is also particularly useful for the required surveillance of surviving testicular cancer patients following treatment, where it has demonstrated 100% success rates for detecting the first signs of recurrence in thousands of patients.
More than 30 clinical study reports have confirmed the accuracy and clinical usefulness of the proprietary micro-RNA biomarker included in the TC100 service, supporting its use alone or in combination with established biomarkers used by the NHS in primary diagnosis, early detection, metastatic disease and recurrence of both seminoma and non-seminoma testicular cancer.
Further information on the testing service is available at https://edxmedical.co.uk/product/testicular-cancer-testing-service/
The first two patients referred to the TC100 service by their doctors yielded data that confirmed with 99% accuracy that one young man was in fact completely clear of testicular cancer, whilst in the second case, the presence of testicular cancer was detected and confirmed in a subsequent scan, enabling treatment to commence rapidly.
Testicular cancer is now the most common form of cancer among young men. There are around 2,500 new cases of testicular cancer in the UK every year and 50,000 survivors of testicular cancer who require accurate post-treatment monitoring. Survival rates for testicular cancer are in excess of 90% if the disease is identified and treated early.
One of the first doctors in the UK who used the TC100 service, Dr Anand Sharma, consultant oncologist at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, Middlesex, commented: “The accuracy was unprecedented, and the rapid laboratory service enabled me to advise the patient swiftly and to give him full confidence in the result of the testing.”
Professor Sir Chris Evans, OBE, founder of EDX Medical Group plc, commented: “The TC100 service that is now available in the UK is the most accurate in the world and covers a wide range of ethnicities and ages from teenagers to older men. As we have seen with other types of cancer, early testing can prove invaluable and lifesaving.”
Dr Mike Hudson, CEO, EDX Medical, said: “The TC100 service includes and significantly enhances the usefulness of the current confirmatory NHS biomarkers. All healthcare professionals in the UK can access the service to help them quickly and accurately identify the early emergence of testicular cancer, as well as to detect any residual disease or recurrence in patients under surveillance following treatment. We’re proud to be launching the TC100 service as part of our growing clinical diagnostic portfolio.”
Colin McFarlane, leading actor and cancer awareness campaigner, commented: “Whilst prostate cancer is the commonest cancer in us older guys, as I well know, it is testicular cancer that’s the commonest in younger men. Diagnosis of testicular cancer – earlier the better – can prevent major fertility issues or death and can lead to a complete recovery from cancer for these boys. To have such an amazingly accurate testing service available as this EDX TC100 for young men is fantastic.”
Dermot Murnaghan, television presenter, said: “I know only too well from my own prostate diagnosis the serious threat that men face from prostate and testicular cancer. I know of no-one who has been diagnosed with either of these cancers who does not wish they had been in a position to get tested much earlier and more accurately. When it comes to testicular cancer, it is in the interest of young men in particular to get checked out as soon as they can. A testing service with this amazing accuracy is a real asset to doctors.”
The launch of the TC100 service is important verification of the company’s commercial strategy. In respect of revenues, EDX Meidcal encountered a short delay in some product availability in the European market, which affected forecast revenues for the current financial year. These matters have been resolved and significant revenues from the TC 100 service, existing products and those in development, are expected to be delivered in the following financial period.
