Medicsight PLC, developer of CAD and image analysis software, draws attention to the decision by the American Cancer Society to add CTC to its colon cancer screening guidelines. Medicsight PLC (AIM:MDST), developer of computer-aided detection (CAD) and image analysis software which assists in the early detection and diagnosis of disease, draws attention to the decision by the American Cancer Society (ACS) to add computerised tomography colonography (CTC) to its colon cancer screening guidelines.

The ACS said: “Provided that advanced, proven techniques are employed in the clinical setting, CTC is included in the guidelines as an option for colorectal cancer screening and prevention in average-risk adults aged 50 years and older”.

The guidelines reflect the growing endorsement for CTC screening, also known as virtual colonoscopy (VC), by the ACS and the ACR, and by the three major gastrointestinal societies: the American Gastroenterological Association (c), the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (AGSE), and the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG).

David Sumner, Chief Executive of Medicsight, said: “We are delighted that the ACS has decided to include CTC in the panel of tests that physicians have at their disposal when screening for colorectal cancer. The ACS endorsement is expected to lead to routine reimbursement for CTC and thereby to a material increase in the use of CTC for screening those populations who are most at risk of developing this devastating condition. Medicsight’s ColonCAD™ software for CT imaging equipment helps radiologists to interpret CT scans and to identify early-stage lesions. We expect the company and its CAD software to be an important beneficiary of wider use of CTC screening.”

The ACS decision to add CTC to the guidelines is based on the outcomes of recent large clinical studies confirming that CTC is comparable to optical colonoscopy for detecting cancer and polyps of significant size when state-of-the-art techniques are applied. Positive clinical studies published in recent months include the National CT Colonography Trial (ACRIN 6664), research from the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the IMPACT trial from Italy, and the Munich Colorectal Cancer Prevention Trial.

Dr. Perry Pickhardt, an associate professor from the University of Wisconsin Medical School and a widely recognised expert on CTC, said: “This exciting development should lead to widespread reimbursement for CTC screening by third-party payors, which is the final remaining barrier to actual large-scale implementation throughout the US.