• Envisioneering Medical Technologies (St. Louis), a manufacturer of diagnostic and treatment technology, said a recent study confirms that TargetScan, a new FDA-approved targeted prostate biopsy and cancer treatment system, delivers improved biopsies for the detection and treatment of prostate cancer. According to the study performed at Washington University (St. Louis), TargetScan’s application of a stationary probe with 3-D image acquisition provided better biopsy information about the location, extent and aggressiveness of prostate cancer compared to conventional biopsy techniques. For patients, these findings mean that a TargetScan biopsy may lead to improved cancer detection and more accurate prognoses, the company said. The clinical test showed that TargetScan detected cancer more frequently upon the first biopsy than over conventional biopsy techniques. Additionally, the researchers suggested that TargetScan’s stabilized probe coupled with its ability to reproduce biopsies and intraprostatic needle localization could improve the success of new cancer-treatment deliveries, such as brachytherapy and cryotherapy.

• Roche Diagnostics (Indianapolis) reported that it has received FDA clearance for its Elecsys PreciControl Tumor Marker control solution. The tumor marker provides laboratory professionals with the same control for six different tumor marker tests. The Elecsys PreciControl Tumor Marker control adds to Roche Diagnostics’ growing tumor marker portfolio that includes prostate-specific antigen; free prostate-specific antigen; Alpha-fetoprotein; carcinoembryonic antigen, CA-15-3, which monitors treatment of breast cancer and recurrences; and CA-125, which monitors the treatment of ovarian cancer. Because one control can be used with all of the tests, laboratory professionals could see an increase in efficiency and productivity – there is no need to switch controls in order to run different tests. Roche Diagnostics has filed a submission with the FDA for its Elecsys CA 19-9 assay, and that submission is pending.