• 1/31/2007
  • Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
  • press release
  • NewsWire (www.newswire.ca)

Perceptronix Medical Inc. today announced its participation in a research project to detect early oral cancer lesions through a new initiative inside the BC Oral Cancer Prevention Program. This Program is bringing together a network of dentists, researchers and technology companies to develop early screening programs for oral cancer. Participation in this program is a result of a collaborative research agreement signed between Perceptronix and researchers with the BC Cancer Agency.

“The problem with oral cancer,” says Dr. Miriam Rosin, Director of the BC Cancer Agency’s Oral Cancer Prevention Program and lead investigator in the study, “is that there are often no symptoms in the early stages. And because it is a challenge to identify during the early stages, it is typically not diagnosed until the cancer has advanced and it is less responsive to treatment.”

The National Cancer Institute of Canada estimates there were 3,000 new oral cancer cases and 1,100 deaths from the disease in 2006.

“During a routine dental exam, there are few clear signs to tell a dentist whether a sore in the mouth is due to inflammation, infection or cancer. The tools developed by Perceptronix and LED Dental Inc. could assist dentists in making those distinctions,” added Dr. Rosin.

Patients volunteering for the screening program will be checked for early cancer using the VELscope(R) fluorescence device developed by LED Dental Inc. The VELscope will aid in identifying areas that require further investigation. The next step involves the ClearCyte(TM) Quantitative Cytology system developed by Perceptronix. The ClearCyte(TM) system can detect suspicious changes to DNA using non-invasive oral brushing samples taken by dentists during a routine check-up; these DNA changes could indicate a cancer risk. If there is a concern, patients will be referred quickly for further follow-up and treatment, whether cancer-related or not.

This research has been funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research and the National Institutes of Health. Research devices are provided by Perceptronix Medical Inc. and LED Dental Inc.