Avant Diagnostics, Inc. (AVDX) Participating in th
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Ovarian cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths among women in the U.S. When someone is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, they are usually in the advanced stages of the disease and treatment is not nearly as effective as it would be if it had been discovered earlier. Avant Diagnostics, Inc. (OTCQB: AVDX) is a medical diagnostic technology company that specializes in large panel biomarker screening. The company’s first test, OvaDx®, is a sophisticated microarray-based test designed to detect pre-symptomatic ovarian cancer by measuring the activation of the immune system in blood samples in response to early stage ovarian tumor cell development.
In clinical development, OvaDx has indicated high sensitivity and specificity for all types and stages of ovarian cancer, including stage IA-IV borderline serous, clear cell, endometrioid, mixed epithelial, mucinous, serous and ovarian adenocarcinoma. Upon FDA approval, Avant plans to offer its diagnostic product as an elective test for women seeking greater wellness, as well as those in the elevated risk category for ovarian cancer.
In a recent Time magazine article (http://dtn.fm/sv0Pa), there is a great comparison study done on a largely ineffective technique currently used for early detection of ovarian cancer. A blood test, called CA-125, can pick up signs of tumors in the ovaries, but it’s not very specific or sensitive for these growths. CA-125 levels can rise not just because of ovarian tumors, but during menstruation and pregnancy as well. That may explain why the test only picks up 60% to 65% of cancers.
OvaDx is expected to be used by doctors to advance the forefront of ovarian cancer treatment, promoting the utilization of improved surgical options and more effective chemotherapies by serving as a supplement to existing tests, such as CA-125, OVA1® and transvaginal ultrasound. In this way, Avant’s innovative product will promote earlier diagnoses and, as a result, improved survival rates for patients with ovarian cancer.
According to another Time magazine article (http://dtn.fm/J1Vwa), the traditional treatment for ovarian cancer is surgery followed by rounds of monthly chemotherapy. The treatment is effective, but there is growing evidence that exposing tumors to such high dose toxic agents at one time is effective in killing cancer cells in the short term, but may encourage chemo-resistant cells to flourish over time.
The common theme here is that early identification of problems (ovarian cancer in this case) is essential in order to take full advantage of currently available treatment options. Cancer is just like the ‘The Blob’ from the classic 1950’s movie and the 1980’s remake. If people would have properly identified the Blob/cancer earlier, it could have been frozen/treated and stored away so that people could have gone on with their daily lives without worry and pain.
For more information, visit the company website at www.avantdiagnostics.com
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