MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Early-stage breast cancer patients treated with a combination of surgery, radiation therapy and drugs have a significantly lower risk of developing a more invasive type of cancer over the long term, according to researchers at Stanford University.
Breast Cancer
Neoprobe hits 52-week high
Yesterday was a strange one on Wall Street for Neoprobe Corp. (NYSE:NEOP), as the company’s shares hit a 52-week but ended the day down about 3 percent.
In early trading Thursday, NEOP shares reached a 52-week high of $3.93, before falling throughout the rest of the day and closing at $3.73.
Allergan slides on breast implant-cancer link
Shares of Allergan Inc. (NYSE:AGN) stock were down nearly 2 percent after a Food & Drug Administration review found that women with breast implants have a greater chance of contracting a rare form of cancer.
The federal watchdog agency warned doctors and patients of a possible link between saline- and silicone gel-filled breast implants and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, a very rare type of cancer.
FDA warns on link between breast implants and cancer
A Food & Drug Administration review found that women with breast implants have a greater chance of contracting a rare form of cancer than other women.
The federal watchdog agency warned doctors and patients of a possible link between saline- and silicone gel-filled breast implants and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma, a very rare type of cancer.
Annual breast screening backed by new study
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Annual breast screening backed by new study. An analysis by researchers at the University of Colorado and University of Michigan of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s 2009 decision to deprioritize breast cancer screening suggests the advisory panel may have ignored evidence that more frequent mammograms save more lives. The researchers studied some of the risk models employed by the USPSTF to issue its controversial breast screening guidelines, reports Reuters.
pSivida and TechniScan drum up $10 million in private rounds
pSivida Corp. (NSDQ:PSDV) and TechniScan Inc. (OTC:TSNI) evidently wanted some privacy in their latest efforts to raise cash.
Watertown, Mass.-based pSivida, which develops ophthalmic drug-delivery devices, expects to net $9.9 million from an equity and warrant-based round involving a group of private investors, the company said today.
Mayo Clinic doc’s quest for better breast cancer detection draws attention
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A Mayo Clinic internist’s talk at the high-profile TEDWomen conference in Washington, D.C., outlined the stunning limitations of mammography for 30 to 60 percent of women (depending on age) and added fuel to her 10-year quest to offer a new, alternative screening technology.
iCAD buys out Xoft with stock and cash
iCAD (NSDQ:ICAD) signed an agreement to purchase X-ray technology developer Xoft Inc.
The Nashua, N.H.-based medical imaging company expects the $13.1 million acquisition to close by the end of the year.
The deal is comprised of about 8.47 million shares of iCAD common stock, or 15.6 percent of iCAD’s outstanding common shares, and $1 million in cash.
Angiotech inks breast biopsy device supply deal with Hologic
Angiotech Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NSDQ:ANPI) inked a three-year, private-label deal with Bedford, Mass.-based Hologic Inc. (NSDQ:HOLX).
Under the terms of the agreement, Vancouver-based Angiotech will supply Hologic with its soft tissue biopsy device for breast biopsies. The deal is specific for products sold in the U.S. and will automatically renew after thee years, according to Angiotech.
FDA panel OKs Hologic’s Selenia 3D mammography system
Hologic Inc.’s (NSDQ:HOLX) Selenia Dimensions 3D digital mammography tomosynthesis system edged closer to approval from the Food & Drug Administration last week.
The device won unanimous favorable votes from the the agency’s Radiological Devices Panel on effectiveness and safety and that the benefits of the system’s technology outweigh its risks, according to the Bedford, Mass.-based company.
Study: Mammography may offer marginal benefits
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that mammograms may not reduce death rates as much as thought.
The research, conducted in Norway, found that mammograms and modern treatment methods reduced the death rate by 10 percent. But not all of that reduction can be chalked up to mammography.