– Norgine B.V. today announced the launch of LYMPHOSEEKR (technetium Tc 99m tilmanocept) in Italy. LYMPHOSEEKR is a radiopharmaceutical used for diagnostic purposes by nuclear medicine specialists and surgeons. It is specifically designed for a procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) and represents a significant alternative to the current method of identifying sentinel lymph nodes in adult patients with breast cancer, melanoma, or localised squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.
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LYMPHOSEEKR has been specifically designed to target, bind to and be retained in sentinel lymph nodes, the first lymph node (or group of nodes) to which cancer cells are most likely to spread from a primary tumour. LYMPHOSEEKR has a false negative rate of 2.6% in T1-T4cN0 oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). It detected sentinel lymph nodes in 98% of patients with Tis, Tx or T1-T4cN0 breast cancer and T1-T4cN0 melanoma
LYMPHOSEEKR offers particular value in identifying lymphatic drainage from tumours in the floor of the mouth (underneath the tongue) which can prove especially difficult. Currently up to 70-80% of patients with early oral cancer receive elective neck dissection surgery, a major procedure which could be avoided by using sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) for staging.
Peter Martin, COO at Norgine commented: “Making LYMPHOSEEKR available to patients demonstrates our commitment to improving patients’ quality of life with access to new innovative specialist diagnostic tools and treatments. Norgine wants all eligible patients suffering from oral cancer, breast cancer or melanoma to have their cancers accurately staged using sentinel lymph node biopsy with LYMPHOSEEKR. This will result in a reduction in unnecessary surgical interventions that can optimise the use of healthcare resources and improve patients’ outcomes.”
Head and neck cancer is the seventh most common type of cancer in Europe. It is about half as common as lung cancer, but twice as common as cervical cancer. There were more than 150,000 new patients diagnosed in Europe in 2012.
LYMPHOSEEKR is available through Norgine in Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy and the UK. Further European launches are anticipated in 2017.
Access the full release on http://www.norgine.com.
Media Contact: Isabelle Jouin, T: +44-(0)1895-453643
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