New Study: Swedish Nevisense can reduce follow-up visits by half for difficult-to-diagnose lesions in melanoma detection

A new Australian study, using the Swedish instrument Nevisense, showed it is possible to reduce the number of cases that require digital dermoscopy follow-up by almost half. In addition Nevisense detected most melanoma three months earlier than traditional methods. Nevisense thereby constitutes a valuable complement to a visual exam with a dermatoscope. The study consisted of 118 patients with 160 lesions, and the results will be presented for the first time at the World Congress on Cancers of the Skin in Vienna on September 1. 

Malignant melanoma is often difficult to detect, and early detection is of crucial importance. Lesions suspected of being malignant melanoma, but which cannot be clearly determined during the initial examination, are followed up in many cases with the help of what is known as short term digital dermoscopy imaging (SDDI), which means that the lesion is photographed and compared over time. 

The use of SDDI is increasing – especially in difficult-to-diagnose cases – but it is resource-intensive and can take three months or more for a final diagnosis. In addition, it can be challenging to get patients to return for follow-up visits.

In the new Australian study, conducted by Dr Lilian Rocha, Associate Prof. Pascale Guitera, Prof. Scott W. Menzies et. al. at the Melanoma Institute of Australia and Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney, SDDI was combined with Nevisense’s  electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurement with the following results:

• 19% of all examined lesions showed a Nevisense EIS value of seven or more and were surgically removed immediately. 83.1% of the malignant melanoma in the study was discovered by Nevisense three months earlier than what SDDI would have allowed.
• 28% showed a Nevisense EIS value of three or less, which would have made the need for a patient follow-up visit unnecessary.
• The combination of SDDI and Nevisense detected 100% of all malignant melanoma in the study.

In total, the use of Nevisense showed the potential to reduce the number of cases that needed to undergo SDDI by 47%. This could simplify diagnostics and lead to significant cost savings for health care while shortening patients’ waiting time for a diagnosis. 

“The cases in the study involve difficult-to-diagnose lesions, and the current diagnostic process is time consuming for both clinicians and patients. This study result is very important because it shows the potential for Nevisense to improve the process - saving both time and resources in the healthcare sector” says Simon Grant, CEO at SciBase.

For more information, please contact:
Simon Grant, CEO
Phone: +46 72 887 43 99
Email: simon.grant@scibase.com

This information is information that SciBase Holding AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 10.00 CET on August 26, 2016.

About Skin Cancer
Skin cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, accounting for nearly half of all cancers. It has been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to the age of 65 will develop skin cancer at least once. Malignant melanoma is the most fatal form of skin cancer causing the majority (75%) of deaths related to skin cancer. Worldwide, doctors diagnose about 230,000 new cases of melanoma yearly.

About SciBase and Nevisense
SciBase AB is a Swedish medical technology company, headquartered in Stockholm that has developed a unique point-of-care device for the accurate detection of malignant melanoma. Its product, Nevisense, helps doctors to detect malignant melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. SciBase was founded by Stig Ollmar, Associate Professor at The Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. Nevisense is based on substantial research and has achieved excellent results in the largest clinical study ever conducted on the detection of malignant melanoma. Nevisense is CE marked in Europe, has TGA approval in Australia, and is awaiting FDA clearance in the United States. Nevisense is based on a method called Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), which uses the varying electrical properties of human tissue to categorize cellular structures and thereby detect malignancies. SciBase is listed on Nasdaq First North (“SCIB”). Avanza is the certified advisor. Further information is available on www.scibase.com. 

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