Kromek

New breast screening technique key statistics for women with dense breast tissue:

• Cancer detection rate per 1,000 screened:

Traditional mammography: 3.2 With new technology: 12.0

• Sensitivity (true positives):

Traditional mammography: 24% With new technology: 91%

Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary is poised to begin the next phase of development and tests for a new, highly accurate breast cancer diagnostic tool which could save thousands of lives.

Innovate UK has released £2million to enable trials of the new technology, being developed by a partnership of Newcastle University, University College London (UCL), The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (NUTH) and County Durham-based Kromek Group plc.

Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) is a technique using a radioactive tracer to identify a tumour and photographed by a specialist camera. The tracer becomes most highly-concentrated in malignant breast tissue compared to normal tissue, revealing it as a brighter area on the image.

Traditional mammography is often unable to clearly image tumours due to the density of the breast tissue – something which affects between 25 and 50 per cent of women. Since denser breast tissue is more prevalent in younger women, it means that tumours can either be missed altogether, or not diagnosed until the cancer has advanced.

Data from Cancer Research UK shows that when breast cancer is diagnosed at its earliest stage, almost all (98 per cent) people will survive for five years or more, compared with around 1 in 4 (26 per cent) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.

Peer-reviewed papers on the comparative efficacy from the Mayo clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, have shown that the cancer detection rate with the addition of MBI tp mammography is 12.0 cases per 1,000 screened, compared to 3.2 cases with mammography alone. It also has a sensitivity rate (true positives) of 91 per cent, compared to 24 per cent for traditional mammography.

Current MBI technology involves exposure to levels of radiation exceeding the acceptable radiation safety level for use in screening. Since 2018, the partnership based in North East England has been working to develop technology for a faster, low-radiation dose MBI system, enabling the tool to be widely applied in cancer detection. The funding from Innovate UK will enable the partnership to begin the next phases of testing for the low-dose MBI technology it has successfully developed and enable data collection at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary.

Dr Nerys Forester, Consultant Breast Radiologist at Newcastle Hospitals, said: “Breast cancer screening is a vital part of detecting cancer early when tumours are often too small to see and saves thousands of lives in the UK each year.

“For women with dense breast tissue, cancer can be more difficult to detect and diagnose through routine mammograms because it is harder to see abnormal changes in the breast on imaging.

"We are delighted to be leading the next phase of testing low-dose MBI, working closely with Kromek, Newcastle University and University College London.

"In future, we hope this technology could help us to identify breast cancer in women with dense breasts at an earlier stage and save more lives.”

Dr Arnab Basu, CEO of detection technology specialist Kromek Group plc, said: “Routine breast screening was introduced in the UK around 30 years ago and has saved tens of thousands of lives. But because there is a higher prevalence of dense breast tissue, especially in younger women, the current provision does not meet everyone’s needs.

“Low-dose molecular breast imaging has the capacity to save thousands more lives, detecting cancers earlier, before they have time to spread. We are proud to be part of this exceptional team of clinicians and academics.”

The new technology is enabled by the application of semiconductor cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) which is produced locally by Kromek. CZT creates much clearer images and requires far lower radiation doses to do so, than comparable detectors. The tests will be the first of their kind globally, delivering eight times less radiation than existing MBI technology and preparing for clinical trials.

ENDS

About Kromek Group plc

Kromek Group plc is a technology group (global HQ in County Durham) and a leading developer of high performance radiation detection products based on cadmium zinc telluride (“CZT”) and other advanced technologies. Using its core technology platforms, Kromek designs, develops and produces x-ray and gamma ray imaging and radiation detection products for the medical, security screening and nuclear markets.

The Group’s products provide high resolution information on material composition and structure and are used in multiple applications, ranging from the identification of cancerous tissues to hazardous materials, such as explosives, and the analysis of radioactive materials.

The Group’s business model provides a vertically integrated technology offering to customers, from radiation detector materials to finished products or detectors, including software, electronics and application specific integrated circuits (“ASICs”).

The Group has operations in the UK and US (California and Pennsylvania), and is selling internationally through a combination of distributors and direct OEM sales.

Currently, the Group has over 150 full-time employees across its global operations. Further information on Kromek Group is available at www.kromek.com and https://twitter.com/kromekgroup.