BRADSHAW MOUNTAIN DIAGNOSTIC LABORATORY BECOMES REGIONAL LEADER IN THE DETECTION OF CERVICAL CANCER

 Northern Arizona’s leader in diagnostic technology offers advanced cervical cancer screening system

PRESCOTT, AZ¾AUGUST 01, 2006 ¾ Bradshaw Mountain Diagnostic Laboratories, Inc. today announced the implementation of the ThinPrep^® Imaging System for cervical cancer screening. The ThinPrep Imaging System, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is the first fully integrated, interactive computer system that assists cytotechnologists and pathologist in the primary screening of ThinPrep^â Pap Test slides.  The ThinPrep Imaging System combines revolutionary imaging technology with human interpretive expertise to improve cervical cancer screening efficiency and performance.  Bradshaw Mountain Lab has been offering the ThinPrep Pap Test since 2002 and will use the ThinPrep Imaging System for all cervical cancer screenings. 

“Bradshaw Mountain Diagnostic Laboratory is committed to providing our patients with the best new technology to detect disease early and the ThinPrep^â System enables us to do that,” said Tom Fellows, CEO. “Using the ThinPrep System offers significant improvements over previous screening technologies.  Making this technology the standard in our practice was simply the right thing to do.”

According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 15,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year and about 5,000 die of the disease. Cervical cancer is almost 100 percent curable if detected early.  More than 30 published studies with more than 500,000 patients have demonstrated the improved performance of the ThinPrep Pap Test compared to the conventional Pap smear. A meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology concluded that the ThinPrep Pap Test improves diagnosis of low-grade (LSIL) and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) compared to the conventional Pap smear.  The article also demonstrated improved sample adequacy with the ThinPrep method. Currently, approximately 70 percent of all Pap tests in the U.S. utilize the ThinPrep Pap Test.

The ThinPrep Pap Test is a liquid-based test that employs a fluid medium to collect and preserve cervical cells.  Specimens are first collected by the clinician with a cervical sampling device as is normally done so there is no difference for the patient; then, instead of smearing the cells on a slide, the device is rinsed into a ThinPrep vial containing PreservCyt^® transport medium, capturing virtually all of the cells. The specimen is then sent to the laboratory where a ThinPrep Processor eliminates obscuring debris and distributes a uniform, representative thin-layer of cells on a microscope slide. The ThinPrep System improves the quality of the specimen, which can result in more accurate diagnoses and fewer unnecessary repeat tests.

 About Cytyc Corporation:

Cytyc Corporation is a leading women's health company that designs, develops, manufactures, and markets innovative and clinically effective products. Cytyc products cover a range of women's health applications, including cervical cancer screening, breast cancer risk assessment, treatment of excessive menstrual bleeding, and treatment of breast cancer.