core Platform
it's greatly needed...and would be nice to see some more attention on this device as the studies are progressed.
from the recent sedar doc summary:
"There are currently independent studies underway at Vancouver General Hospital (“VGH”) using the Core™ for the detection of lung and colon cancers.
These independent studies are 100% funded by both government granting agencies and NGOs and are being conducted by the BC Cancer Agency and Vancouver General Hospital.
The Corporation anticipates that after Aura™, our second product to market will be the Core™ for lung cancer detection.
In November 2012, the Corporation announced intermediate results from the BC Cancer Agency lung
cancer detection clinical study at VGH which builds on the initial success of the pilot study for lung
cancer detection. The pilot study was able to obtain clear in-vivo Raman spectra in one second using the
Core™ technology, and pre-neoplastic lesions were detected with a sensitivity of 96 per cent and a
specificity of 91 per cent. The current study found that the sensitivity and specificity of the new
generation system remain similarly high with the larger sample cohort with an increase in specificity and
only a slight reduction in sensitivity."
Is it needed? - here's a headline today from Canada:
leaderpost.com
Lung cancer most lethal
BY IRYN TUSHABE, LEADER-POSTMAY 30, 2013
According to the 2013 Canadian Cancer Statistics publication, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths in Saskatchewan.
Released Wednesday, the report projected 580 people will die of lung cancer in 2013, 300 of those being men.
Donna Pasiechnik, the Canadian Cancer Society Saskatchewan's media relations and tobacco control manager, said controlling tobacco use in the province is pertinent to reducing the occurrence of cancers, especially lung cancer.
"Thirty per cent of all cancer deaths are associated with tobacco use. We know that if we can bring down smoking rates, we are going to bring down the number of cancers, lung cancer being one of those," said Pasiechnik.
According to Pasiechnik, the lung cancer death rate for men has dropped over the past 20 years, but the women's rate has stabilized.
"And that's because women started smoking later than men, so women's smoking rates peaked later than men. As well, men quit earlier and so now we are seeing their death rates drop," she said.
Saskatchewan has the highest youth smoking rate in Canada.
The report projects 2,300 - 1,200 men and 1,100 women - cancer deaths will occur this year in Saskatchewan, an improvement over last year's 2,400.
An estimated 5,300 Saskatchewan residents will be diagnosed with cancer this year.
Pasiechnik said the province has made great strides in cancer treatment.
"We are diagnosing cancers earlier, we are coming up with better treatment options and as a result, death rates are falling and survival rates are improving. Incidents continue to go up though but that's because our population is aging," she said.
Pasiechnik added that the province has put a lot of effort in screening programs for some of the cancers with the highest death rates, including one for colorectal cancer that is now available provincewide.
"Given the death rates associated with colorectal cancer, that's a positive step because polyps will be caught early and removed to prevent colorectal cancer from developing," said Pasiechnik.
According to the report, 410 men will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year, putting it at No. 2 after prostate and lung cancers, which will be diagnosed in 650 and 360 men, respectively.
For women in Saskatchewan, colorectal cancer comes third at 330 after breast and lung cancers at 690 and 330, respectively.
Nationwide, liver cancer has seen a three-fold increase in incidents among men and a two-fold increase in incidents among women since 2007. "That's a big concern because the survival rate for liver cancer is very poor - just 20 per cent after five years," said Pasiechnik.
According to Pasiechnik, the primary risk factors for liver cancer are hepatitis B and hepatitis C infections.
Other predisposing factors for liver cancer include heavy alcohol use, unhealthy body weight, smoking and diabetes.
In Saskatchewan this year, there will be 25 new liver cancer cases and five deaths due to liver cancer among men.
Liver cancer numbers for women are unknown this year. The last known liver cancer statistics for women are from 2007. That year, there were 14 new cases and 19 deaths due to liver cancer among women.
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