And I'm ALL for reducing needless biopsies..
New Data Report Matritech's NMP48 Prostate Cancer Blood Test More Accurate than
PSA; NMP48 Test Could Reduce
Unnecessary Biopsies
Business Editors and Health/Medical Writers
NEWTON, Mass.--(BW HealthWire)--Dec. 10, 2001--A new blood test
for the detection of prostate cancer developed by Matritech Inc.
(NASDAQ: NMPS) correctly identified men with benign prostate disease
(BPH) as negative for prostate cancer. These results are a significant
improvement over the widely used prostate specific antigen (PSA) test,
which often produces false-positive results for men with BPH.
Matritech presented the NMP48(TM) prostate cancer test results at the
New Discoveries in Prostate Cancer Biology and Treatment meeting,
hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research. All blood
samples used in the testing were provided by the Urology Department at
The Johns Hopkins Hospital.
"The discovery of the NMP48 protein and the resulting test should
significantly improve the process for diagnosing prostate cancer,"
said Matritech's senior protein chemist John J. Hlavaty, Ph.D, who
leads the Matritech discovery team. "PSA, the current test, often
incorrectly appears positive in men with benign disease because the
PSA test is not cancer-specific. These men must then endure invasive
testing, including biopsy of the prostate, which is a painful and
expensive procedure. It appears that NMP48 may reduce these
unnecessary and expensive procedures."
Blood specimens from 15 men with BPH were tested. PSA results were
sufficiently elevated for 12 of these men to indicate the possibility
of prostate cancer. Matritech's NMP48 test correctly identified 14 of
the 15 men who did not have prostate cancer.
These results indicate that NMP48 is more specific than the PSA
test for ruling out prostate cancer. Previous presentations made this
year by Matritech scientists at clinical meetings have reported
greater sensitivity of NMP48 in detecting prostate cancer than PSA.
The data included more than 125 serum samples (including BPH and
post-surgery samples) that were analyzed using Matritech's proprietary
sample processing and mass spectrometry discovery method. The study
included blood from 52 men who previously had been diagnosed with
prostate cancer and compared the results to the blood of 50 healthy
men. NMP48 was found in 96 percent of the men diagnosed with prostate
cancer. NMP48 also identified 11 of 12 men with biopsy-confirmed
prostate cancer that were missed by the PSA test.
NMP48 was also present in only two of 10 post-surgery blood
samples, suggesting that NMP48 may be useful to monitor for recurrence
of prostate cancer.
"The clinical value of this biomarker is its improved overall
accuracy over PSA in detecting prostate cancer. In these studies,
NMP48 has been shown to be both more sensitive and specific than the
PSA test," said Hlavaty. "Using this proteomic technology, we are
developing a clinical format for NMP48 to permit urologists to detect
cancer earlier and to save lives."
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 198,100 new
cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this
year, and an estimated 31,500 men die from prostate cancer annually.
The five-year survival rate approaches 100 percent when the disease is
detected early. The most life threatening, late-stage forms of
prostate cancer often require surgical removal of the prostate, which
can lead to complications such as impotence and incontinence.
About Matritech
Matritech is a leading developer of proteomics-based diagnostic
products for the early detection of cancer. Using its patented
proteomics technology, Matritech has identified proteins correlated
with breast, bladder, prostate, cervical and colon cancers. Matritech
is one of the first companies to successfully employ proteomics to
create diagnostic products. The Company holds one of only two FDA
product approvals for the initial detection of cancer. The
FDA-approved NMP22 bladder cancer test is currently used by
urologists. In addition, the Company has a promising blood-based
breast cancer test, NMP66, in clinical trials. Initial research on a
prostate cancer marker, NMP48, identified by Matritech scientists
shows the marker to be more accurate than the widely used PSA test.
NMP technology is licensed exclusively to Matritech from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
Any forward-looking statements related to the Company's
expectations regarding its current and future products are subject to
a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the
Company's control. These include but are not limited to, risks related
to unforeseen technical obstacles in completing clinical trials,
unforeseen delays in, or denials of, FDA and other regulatory
approvals, future product demand and pricing performance of
distributors, competitive products and technical developments, health
care reform and general business and economic conditions. There can be
no assurance that the Company's expectations for its products will be
achieved.
--30--dp/bos*
CONTACT: Media Relations:
Fleishman-Hillard
Stacey Collins
202-828-5060
or
FH-GPC
Brooke Tyson
617-646-1023
or
Investor Relations:
Matritech
John Doherty
617-928-0820 ext. 224
KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BIOTECHNOLOGY MEDICAL MEDICAL DEVICES
SOURCE: Matritech
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Dec-10-2001 17:06 GMT
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