Naviscan, Inc. Release: MD Anderson Study Shows PEM May Indicate if Chemotherapy is Effective

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwire - November 29, 2011) -

Presented yesterday at the RSNA 2011 annual meeting, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that using Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) to measure PEM values (PUV) from baseline may indicate whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy is effective. PEM is positioned to benefit this patient population as it may help identify when a chemotherapeutic regimen is not working. PEM also has the potential to play a role in initial staging of breast cancer in patients at high risk for multifocal or multicentric disease who desire breast conservation therapy as an alternative to breast MRI.

“It is conceivable that PEM values may be an early indicator of efficacy to targeted therapy for breast cancer patients,” stated Dr. Wei Yang, Vice Chair of Radiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. “Breast cancer, as we understand it today, is currently being treated on the basis of molecular features of the patient’s tumor. A knowledge of the range of the molecular and functional imaging features of tumors will hopefully help confirm current molecular phenotypes, serve as a tool for the prediction of response and hopefully help to develop a schema that incorporates imaging, molecular phenotypes and predictive biomarkers that will translate into better clinical trials for diagnosis, treatment and prevention.”

PEM is the breast application of the Naviscan high-resolution PET scanner showing the location as well as the metabolic phase of a lesion. It is the only FDA-cleared 3D Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) device on the market. The metabolic view assists physicians in making optimal care decisions by providing an ability to distinguish between benign and malignant lesions, what researchers term “specificity.”

The goal of the study was to report the utility of PEM to evaluate pathologic and clinical response to targeted therapy for breast cancer patients treated on two neoadjuvant clinical trials, phase II lapatinib for HER 2 overexpressing inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) and phase 1b dasatanib for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). All patients underwent PEM in conjunction with mammography and ultrasound. Lapatinib patients also underwent dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI. PEM was performed prior to treatment and repeated at day 21 after run-in with the chemotherapeutic agent and imaging results were correlated either with subsequent pathological response for the lapatinib study or clinical response by RECIST criteria for the dasatinib study.

Results showed that PEM values decreased from baseline in the effective chemotherapeutic regimen, lapatinib. However there was not substantial change in the ineffective dasantinib regimen.

About Naviscan, Inc.

Naviscan, founded in 1995, develops and markets compact, high-resolution PET scanners intended to provide organ-specific molecular imaging and guide radiological and surgical procedures. The Naviscan PET scanner is currently installed and available in breast and imaging centers throughout the U.S. and is globally distributed in 34 countries. The Company is headquartered in San Diego, California and is the first to obtain FDA-clearance and CE Mark for a high-resolution PET scanner designed to image small body parts and for breast biopsy image guidance.