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NP Screen

 * NP Screen is a simple, highly sensitive and specific genetic based screening test kit (the NP Screen™) for the detection of Nasopharyngeal Cancer. Since it has been demonstrated that all NPC tumor cells have copies of Epstein-Barr Virus DNA, NP Screen™ is designed to specifically measure the presence of EBV DNA as an indicator of presence of NPC. NPscreen™ has been scientifically proven to provide a 99% level of sensitivity & specificity in detection of NPC. The result is highly accurate and predictive of the presence of NPC even in patients with clinically inconspicuous disease. Patients harboring the cancer without findings on endoscopy have also been found to be positive using this method. NP Screen™ is now commercially available to you for annual screenings of early NPC detection.

How does it work

 * The NP Screen™ procedure is performed by a trained physician or clinician who uses a simple, patient-friendly trans-oral swab to collect cells from the area of the nasopharynx where NPC first forms. The procedure is painless and takes no more than 1 minute to perform. During clinical study, none of the patients tested developed any adverse events such as bleeding or infection. The collected sample is preserved in room temperature & shipped to our clinical laboratory where the DNA is extracted from these cells for analysis. The turnaround time for the result is fast and available within two to three weeks after the procedure. If abnormalities are detected at elevated levels then your risk for NPC is considered to be very high.

Existing Methods for Detection?
There are currently four known medical techniques that can detect NPC:


 * 1) Trans-oral mirror examination – This is the routine and traditional examination of the nasopharyngeal space by an ENT specialist/Otolaryngologist. However this method is highly inaccurate and difficult to perform due to frequent patients gag reflex. The compliance rate is low and false negative rate is unacceptable.


 * 1) Circulating EBV antibodies in plasma – This method is a blood laboratory test that also has a high rate of false positive. Over 90% of general populations have past exposure to EBV infections and subsequently developed positive serology. In addition, patients with positive serology may already be in advanced large tumor stage and has no benefit in detecting early stage disease.


 * 1) Circulating EBV DNA in plasma – This method involves testing the amount of circulating plasma EBV DNA in the blood. The presence of the viral DNA in the blood is due to rapid tumor cell growth and release of DNA into the blood. Some of the DNA comes from dead tumor cells. This method has been shown to be better than the serology method with higher sensitivity and specificity in detecting NPC. At the present time, the value of plasma EBV DNA in screening for early NPC is not known.


 * 1) Nasopharyngeal Endoscopy – This is the current gold standard of identifying NPC. Local anesthetic is sometime applied to the nasal passage for fibre-optic nasopharyngoscopy by an Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) Specialist / Otolaryngologist. However, a significant proportion of NPC patients are clinically inconspicuous (sub-mucosal disease). False negative rates can be as high as 30% to 40%. There is also a risk of contamination and cross infection due to insufficient sterilization of the endoscope.


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