DIGNITANA PARTNERS WITH PIEDMONT CANCER INSTITUTE TO HELP GEORGIA BREAST CANCER PATIENTS KEEP THEIR HAIR
Lund, Sweden – June 9, 2017—Dignitana AB, a world leader in medical scalp-cooling technology and manufacturer of the DigniCap® scalp cooling system, announced today that the medical device will be offered at Piedmont Cancer Institute in Georgia. Positive results from the multi-center FDA clinical trial, published in February 2017 by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), indicate that seven out of ten patients with early-stage breast cancer using the DigniCap® system kept at least 50% of their hair.
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide with 255,000 new incidences of the disease each year in the United States. In Georgia alone an estimated 8,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed each year. Piedmont seeks to understand and treat the whole patient with the best possible care using leading edge cancer therapies, participation in clinical trials accessing newly developed cancer treatments and the extensive resources of the Piedmont Cancer Center and its comprehensive cancer treatment team.
“For many women, hair loss associated with chemotherapy is an extremely traumatic prospect,” said Trevor Feinstein, MD of Piedmont Cancer Institute. “Some patients even opt out of treatment altogether because the thought of losing their hair is so troubling. Understanding the emotional impacts that accompany diagnosis and treatment is nearly as important as eradicating the disease. We are proud to be the first in Georgia to offer patients this innovative, clinically proven alternative to one of cancer’s most devastating side effects.”
FDA-cleared in 2015, the DigniCap® Scalp Cooling System will be available this summer at Piedmont’s center in Atlanta, with installation at other Piedmont locations to follow.
First in scalp cooling, Dignitana, in partnership with the non-profit organization HairToStay (www.HairToStay.org), has already participated in a scalp cooling learning luncheon in the Atlanta area to help raise awareness and funding for scalp cooling treatments, which are not yet universally covered by insurance.
“Dignitana is keen to align with support groups in the area to facilitate awareness and access to DigniCap treatments”, said William Cronin, Chief Executive Officer of Dignitana, Inc. “We look forward to working with Piedmont’s highly skilled clinical staff to deliver the best scalp cooling therapeutics available on the market today.”
The device features a patented tight-fitting silicone cooling cap that is placed directly on the head, and an outer neoprene cap that insulates and secures the silicone cap. The cooling cap is connected to a cooling and control unit with touch screen prompts. A liquid coolant circulates throughout the silicone cap, delivering consistent and controlled cooling to all areas of the scalp. The cap is fitted to the head, and the temperature of the scalp is lowered, resulting in vasoconstriction with reduced delivery of chemotherapy to the scalp, as well as reduced cellular uptake of drugs due to decreased intra follicular metabolic rate. These factors together reduce the risk of chemotherapy-induced hair loss.
DigniCap is now available in 21 states across the country. With the addition of the Piedmont Cancer Institute locations in Georgia, along with East Jefferson General Hospital in Louisiana and Mile High Oncology in Colorado there are now 77 partner sites currently contracted in the United States.
Media Contacts:
Caren Browning Semmy Rülf
King + Company Chairman of the board, Dignitana AB
00 1 212 561-7464 +46 (0)709-312730
Caren.Browning@kingcompr.com semmy.rulf@dignitana.se
About Dignitana AB (publ)
Dignitana is a Swedish public company, based in Lund, and manufacturer of the medical cooling device DigniCap®. Dignitana AB is listed on the Nasdaq First North Stockholm and has appointed Erik Penser Bank as Certified Advisor. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Dignitana, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of Dignitana AB. For more information visit www.dignitana.com.
This information is information that Dignitana AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, by the above contact, for publication at 13:30 (CET), 9 June, 2017.
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