|
Pleasanton, April 6, 2004
ROCHE MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS' WOMEN'S HEALTH BUSINESS RECEIVES
AWARD FROM ASCCP
The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Recognizes
Roche's Support for Women's Healthcare Programs
The American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP)
has presented Roche Diagnostics' Women's Health business with a
special award recognizing Roche's "continued support for women's
healthcare programs". Chris Meda, vice president of Roche Molecular
Diagnostics Women's Health, accepted the award from Kathleen McIntyre-Seltman,
MD, President of the ASCCP's Board of Directors at the organization's
Biennial Meeting in Orlando, Florida.
"We are honored to accept this award from ASCCP because we
know so well this professional organization's strong commitment
to improving women's health," said Ms. Meda.
"Roche Diagnostics has been a tremendous resource for ASCCP
as we undertake pioneering projects in education and health practice
such as the HPV DNA Self-Assessment Project," said Kathleen
McIntyre-Seltman, MD. "We look forward to continuing our relationship
with Roche as we tackle the complex problem of structuring cervical
cancer prevention programs for special populations such as adolescents
and the indigent."
About Cervical Cancer and HPV
According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is the
second biggest cause of female cancer mortality worldwide with close
to 300,000 deaths yearly. In the absence of screening programs (routine
Pap smear), cervical cancer is detected too late and leads to death
in almost all cases. Almost all (99.8%) cervical cancers are caused
by specific types of a sexually-transmitted DNA tumor virus called
human papillomavirus (HPV).
About Cervical Cancer Screening in the US
To screen for cervical cancer, 160 million Pap tests are performed
each year worldwide, 50 to 60 million in the US alone.1
The Pap test alone is approximately 80 percent effective in detecting
the precursors of cervical cancer.2 Furthermore, "inconclusive"
Pap tests - where very mild abnormalities are identified and the
presence of a cervical precancer is unclear - occur in about 5 to
6 percent of all Pap tests.3 The American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Cancer Society and
the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals have updated
their screening guidelines to include HPV DNA testing as part of
routine cervical cancer screening for women age 30 and older.
About Roche and Roche Diagnostics
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is one of the world's
leading innovation-driven healthcare groups. Its core businesses
are pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is number one in the
global diagnostics market, the leading supplier of pharmaceuticals
for cancer and a leader in virology and transplantation. As a supplier
of products and services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment
of disease, the Group contributes on a broad range of fronts to
improving people's health and quality of life. Roche employs roughly
65,000 people in 150 countries. The Group has alliances and research
and development agreements with numerous partners, including majority
ownership interests in Genentech and Chugai. Roche's Diagnostics
Division, the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics with a uniquely
broad product portfolio, supplies a wide array of innovative testing
products and services to researchers, physicians, patients, hospitals
and laboratories worldwide.
About the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology
The ASCCP is an organization of health care professionals committed
to improving health through the study, prevention, diagnosis, and
management of lower genital tract disorders. The Society provides
a forum for education and dissemination of knowledge about the lower
genital tract through the use of colposcopy. This includes the disciplines
of pathology, cytology, cytogenetics, preventive medicine, basic
research, gynecologic oncology, and endocrinology. ASCCP sponsors
The Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease. The Journal is
a peer-reviewed publication for the exchange of information among
interested health care providers. In 2001 the ASCCP produced the
Consensus Conference for Guidelines for the Management of Cytological
Abnormalities and Cervical Cancer Precursors.
1. Website. ASCCP, Frequently Asked Questions section. http://www.asccp.org/pdfs/consensus/questions.pdf
Website. Locht, Peter Ph.D., M.Sc. "A System for Automated
Screening for Cervical Cancer" 11 June 2003, Visible Diagnostics
A/S. http://www.imm.dtu.dk/visiondag/VD03/medicinsk/pl.pdf
2. Ferenczy A, Franco E. Cervical cancer screening beyond the year
2000. THE LANCET Oncology 2001 January
3. Website. ASCCP, Glossary Section. http://www.asccp.org/pdfs/consensus/glossary.pdf
Website. National Cancer Institute, "The Pap Test: Questions
and Answers" document.
http://cis.nci.nih.gov/fact/pdfdraft/5_diag/fs5_16.pdf
|
