SUNNYVALE, Calif., April 19 /PRNewswire/ -- R2 Technology, the leader in computer aided detection (CAD) technology for the earlier detection of breast cancer and other medical conditions, announced today that it has received the 2006 Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Leadership of the Year Award for its success in the rapidly-growing CAD industry.
"R2 Technology has succeeded in taking CAD to a higher echelon in mammography and chest CT. With the continuous rise in the number of companies offering CAD solutions, R2 Technology has substantiated its position as the technology innovator in CAD and also the leader in this segment," said Frost & Sullivan industry manager Siddharth Saha.
R2's ImageChecker CAD systems are increasingly used by radiologists as "a second set of eyes" when reviewing mammograms and chest CT studies and to help interpret and manage the growing amounts of data produced by these imaging studies. R2 pioneered the CAD industry in 1998 and its 2005 innovations included the launch of five new products and ten major features across the entire spectrum of the company's offerings.
"We are pleased to be recognized by Frost & Sullivan for our ongoing commitment to product innovation and our overall role in advancing the CAD industry to better serve our customers and to ultimately help save more lives," said John Pavlidis, president and chief executive officer of R2 Technology.
Key mammography CAD innovations launched by R2 in 2005 include: -- Citra(TM) Mammography Applications Suite -- the first solution employing "CAD intelligence" to optimize the presentation of images and CAD information for improved workflow and decision-support; -- RightSize(TM) Optimized Temporal Comparison -- an exclusive Citra option that equalizes the scale of all displayed images to facilitate the efficient comparison of prior and current mammograms; -- ImageChecker DMax System -- a comprehensive CAD system for high-volume sites using film-based and/or digital mammography; -- Flexible Operating Points -- a combination of nine mammography CAD operating points to allow maximum user flexibility between high detection sensitivity and low false marker rate; -- Malc(TM) Mark and EmphaSize(TM) -- two new mammography CAD mark solutions designed to improve workflow by quickly conveying more information about what the algorithm has detected; and -- GreenLight(TM) User Interface -- an easy-to-use touch-screen system that enables technologists to process films quickly and to monitor film-scanning progress from a distance, without interrupting other work. New CT Lung CAD advances for the company included: -- ImageChecker CT Lung CAD V2.0 System -- this second-generation application increases physicians' accuracy and efficiency for the detection of actionable lung nodules during the review of multi-slice CT (MSCT) lung exams; -- AutoPoint(TM) Temporal Comparison -- a valuable tool that expedites physicians' review of current and prior MSCT exams by automatically and accurately tracking lung nodule changes -- potential indicators of malignancy -- over time; and -- Pulmonary Artery Patency Exam (PE(TM)) -- a key tool to aid in the detection of potential intravascular pulmonary artery filling defects -- such as pulmonary emboli -- during review of MSCT exams.
In addition, the company's CAD results are now available on more than a dozen leading Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and OEM workstations. "We have focused our efforts in the last year in optimizing the clinical effectiveness and workflow efficiency of our products," said Vilim Simcic, Ph. D., R2's chief technology officer. "Radiology departments and centers want their CAD results available on their enterprise PACS systems, as well as solutions to help accommodate multi-vendor environments. We thus continue to demonstrate our commitment to lead the CAD industry with innovative solutions that serve our customers clinical needs."
R2's ImageChecker system was the first CAD system approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use with film-based mammography in 1998 and for digital mammography in 2001. A recent study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology showed that R2's ImageChecker Mammography CAD System increased detection rates of small, invasive breast cancers by 164 percent compared to radiologists' performance without CAD. The study also showed that the women's mean age at cancer detection with R2's CAD was 5.3 years younger -- or, potentially five mammography cycles sooner -- than in those for whom CAD was not used.* A clinical study published recently in Chest showed that the ImageChecker CT Lung CAD System detected nodules of clinical significance in 33 percent of MSCT chest exams originally read as having no actionable nodules.*
Since 1998, the company has received multiple supplemental approvals for technological and clinical advances and owns or has exclusive worldwide rights in more than 115 issued and pending patents. To date, more than 2600 ImageChecker CAD systems have been shipped worldwide and this year approximately 10 million women will have their mammograms interpreted with the aid of R2's leading CAD technology.
About Frost & Sullivan
Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company's industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit www.frost.com.
About R2 Technology, Inc.
R2 Technology, Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, is the recognized leader in the development and commercialization of computer aided detection (CAD), an innovative technology that assists physicians in the earlier detection of breast cancer, actionable lung nodules and other lung abnormalities. As a medical imaging company dedicated to diagnostic decision support, increasing physician productivity and preventing medical errors, R2 Technology is developing CAD systems for a variety of imaging modalities and disease states. For more information, visit www.r2tech.com or call 866-243-2533.
NOTE: ImageChecker is a registered trademark of R2 Technology, Inc.
* Studies available upon request.
R2 Technology, Inc.CONTACT: Tracy Morris, +1-650-473-1272, or tracy@morrismarcom.com, for R2Technology, Inc.
