BIOHIT ColonView is the best colorectal cancer screening test on the market
Biohit Oyj Press Release February 20, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. local time (EET)
A international study comparing colorectal cancer screening tests has been completed and the scientific report has been recently accepted for publication in an international cancer journal - Anticancer Research.
A hospital-derived cohort of 300 subjects were tested using the new-generation Biohit ColonView fecal immunochemical Test (FIT) and the traditional test for fecal occult blood (FOB). The results indicate that ColonView was superior to the conventional FOB test in colorectal cancer screening due to its significantly higher sensitivity. ColonView quick test detects both hemoglobin (Hb) and hemoglobin-haptoglobin (Hb/Hp) complex.
Cancer of the colon and rectum develops over a long period through well-defined precursor lesions which can be detected and removed before their progression to cancer. Colorectal cancer is one of the few human malignancies, which is amenable to population-based screening. Since 2004, a colorectal cancer screening pilot program has been ongoing in Finland using a FOB test. In countries where this same test is being used, a significant proportion of false positive alarms are constantly reported which makes colorectal cancer screening with FOB tests not cost-effective.
Chief Medical Director Kari Syrjänen, Biohit Oyj: ‘ColonView is clearly more sensitive (94%) as compared with the competing FIT tests, showing a pooled sensitivity below 80% in a recent meta-analysis. This difference is most significant in detecting the neoplasia of the proximal colon. The test based on Hb-detection found less than 50% of these cases, whereas ColonView detected them all.’
CEO Semi Korpela, Biohit Oyj: ’In this comparison study, ColonView was at best over 50% more sensitive than the traditional FOB test. The best screening test is the one which detects only the cancer precursors (adenomas) and cancers, with a minimum of false alarms that necessitate confirmation by expensive additional examinations. In many countries, a substantial amount of limited health care resources could be saved by replacing the current screening method (FOB) with the Biohit´s FIT test.’
Attachment: BIOHIT ColonView brochure (pdf)
Additional information:
CEO Semi Korpela, Biohit Oyj
tel. +358 9 773 861
investor.relations@biohit.fi
www.biohithealthcare.com
Biohit in brief
Biohit Oyj is a globally operating Finnish biotechnology company. Biohit’s mission is “Innovating for Health” – we produce innovative products and services to promote research and early diagnosis. Biohit is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, and has subsidiaries in Italy and the UK. Biohit's Series B share (BIOBV) is quoted on Nasdaq Helsinki in the Small cap/Healthcare group. www.biohithealthcare.com