EDX Medical’s New Advanced Bowel Cancer Testing Service to Launch in UK to Improve Early Detection

CAMBRIDGE, England–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#EDXMedical–A new, highly accurate testing service that improves the early-stage detection of bowel cancer with strong clinical validity will be available in the UK within the next few weeks.

The service increases the accuracy and sensitivity of testing and includes assessment of hereditary genetic risk for the patient. It is the most advanced and accurate colorectal testing solution ever to be offered in the UK, with sensitivities in excess of 95% across stages 1 to 4 bowel cancer and approximately 60% sensitivities for very early pre-cancerous adenomas.

The BC95 service, which is being launched in the UK by Cambridge-based digital diagnostic company, EDX Medical, comprises a customisable suite of diagnostic tests, tailored to individual patient needs. The testing service uses faecal and blood samples to examine a range of important biomarkers including hereditary genetic status. The service also includes pre-test counselling for hereditary risk assessment and all data from the various diagnostic procedures are returned to the patient’s designated healthcare provider or doctor for clinical follow-up.

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.

Improved early detection and characterisation, including knowledge of hereditary genetic risks as well as the presence of adenomas is considered to be the most impactful area for cost-effectively improving patient outcomes.

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 bowel cancer – Britain’s second biggest cancer killer – to a new level in terms of accuracy and reliability.

“The various elements of our service provide a very comprehensive testing package that has been thoroughly validated in the clinic and 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 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 are favourable”

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%) for detecting early-stage cancers (stage 0-2). The test even detects pre-cancerous advanced adenomatous polyps with a sensitivity of 58.1% making it a particularly useful tool for monitoring those known to have an increased risk of cancer due to hereditary genetics or lifestyle.

The testing 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.

For those individuals with a family history of CRC, testing can be used to guide lifestyle choices as well as guide the frequency with which the early detection elements of the service should be used. The hereditary genetic element of the BC95 service involves comprehensive pre-and post-test genetic counselling, including determining a family history of cancer, and support to access public and private resources in cases where a positive result is identified. The hereditary risk test and pre-test counselling is a once-only procedure for each individual.

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.

The EDX Medical BC95 bowel cancer service aims to be the most reliable, early detection test and comprises an assessment of:

• An extensive panel of hereditary genetic risks (including Lynch syndrome)
• Advanced early detection technology to identify epigenetic biomarkers in faecal DNA
• The standard FIT assessment of faecal haemoglobin – enabling reference to legacy data.

Notes for Editors:

About EDX Medical Group plc

EDX Medical Group plc is listed on the Apex Segment of the AQSE Growth Market (TIDM: EDX).

EDX Medical was founded by Professor Sir Christopher Evans, OBE, a medical and life sciences entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience, together with CEO, Dr Mike Hudson.

By translating clinical insights into pragmatic solutions combining advanced biological and digital technologies, EDX Medical seeks to cost effectively improve the detection and characterisation of disease in order to personalise treatment in a timely fashion. Early disease detection and biologically based personal treatment optimisation is considered to be the most impactful way of reducing deaths and lowering the cost of healthcare globally.

EDX Medical Group provides doctors, hospitals and insurers/payers with access to a portfolio of the best clinical diagnostics products and services. The Company operates its own facilities in Cambridge and has strategic product and technology partnerships with organisations such as Thermo Fisher EMEA Ltd, a world leader in supplying life sciences solutions and services.

EDX Medical conducts product development, validation and distribution and provides PCR and genomic sequencing services accredited to ISO 15189 by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

Contacts

EDX Medical Group plc
Dr Mike Hudson (Chief Executive Officer)

+44 (0)7812 345 301

Media House International
Ramsay Smith

+44 (0)7788 414856

[email protected]

Gary McQueen

+ 44 (0)7834 694609

[email protected]