Matritech's NMP22 BladderChek Test Reported To Be Cost Effective In Detecting Bladder Cancer

Clinicians from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center presented new data at the annual meeting of the Society of Urologic Oncology about the cost effectiveness of screening for bladder cancer using the NMP22(R) BladderChek(R) Test, an FDA approved point-of-care urine based test. The data showed the BladderChek Test to be half the cost of traditional bladder cancer screening methods, bringing the cost effectiveness in line with currently accepted cancer screening tests. Costs of detecting a case of bladder cancer using the BladderChek Test are similar to mammography, PSA, and colonoscopy. Bladder cancer has the highest cost per patient of all cancers from diagnosis to death and is almost as common in men as colon cancer. In the United States alone, it is estimated that the annual direct costs of bladder cancer management are $4 billion.

Commercialized by Matritech (Amex: MZT) a leading developer of protein-based diagnostic products for the early detection of cancer, the NMP22 BladderChek Test was one of several biomarker tests evaluated by Yair Lotan, M.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and his colleagues. Their study, The Cost Effectiveness/Efficacy Algorithm Concerning Molecular Diagnosis of Bladder Carcinoma: With or without Cystoscopy, utilized a decision analysis model based on national statistics and a recent study of high-risk patients, to evaluate the cost of screening individuals at high risk (based on risk factors such as long-term smoking or exposure to chemicals and dyes) with bladder tumor markers. Dr. Lotan reported on the results of the study in a podium presentation at the Society's annual meeting.

Dr. Lotan concluded that the NMP22 BladderChek Test is expensive compared to other biomarker tests and has improved sensitivity compared to the currently used urine cytology test. The point-of-care test is also reimbursed by Medicare in 49 states for diagnosing and monitoring of bladder cancer. "If the NMP22 BladderChek Test were to be used for screening very high-risk adults, this test would be comparable and within cost parameters of other cancer screening tests," he said.

Using Dr. Lotan's bladder cancer model, the NMP22 BladderChek point-of-care test yields a cost-per-cancer detected of $2,625, assuming a cancer incidence of about 8% per year. Dr. Lotan and his colleagues found this cost comparable to accepted cancer screening tests such as mammography, PSA, and colonoscopy. For women undergoing mammography screening, the cost per breast cancer detected can be as high as $14,000. Prostate cancer screening with PSA leads to costs of nearly $3,000 per cancer detected; colorectal cancer screening has a broader range of $2,000-$5,000 per cancer detected.

The NMP22 BladderChek Test is the only in-office test approved by the FDA for the diagnosis of bladder cancer. It is a painless and non-invasive assay that detects elevated levels of the NMP22 protein -in a single urine sample. Performed in the doctor's office, results are available during the patient's visit.

The goal of cancer screening is to detect cancer early. One in four bladder malignancies is currently diagnosed at an advanced stage. Bladder tumors detected at an early stage are often treatable, and the five-year survival rate is 95%. However, once the tumors become more advanced the survival rate drops steadily to 10%.

In presenting his research, Dr. Lotan asked the question, "Can we afford bladder cancer screening?" He explained, "If the universe of patients is screened, the cost per cancer is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Yet, screening very high-risk groups based on risk factors such as smoking or environmental exposure to carcinogens may yield a cost that is reasonable, with less morbidity to the patient and with a reduction in cancer deaths."

Beyond the cost per cancer for screening, other research has shown the direct cost of treatment for patients with metastatic bladder cancer can be more than 6 times greater than for those patients with localized disease. Accordingly, the challenge is to improve detection, without increasing risk or discomfort to the patient.

Dr. Lotan concluded that integrating bladder cancer screening into diagnostic guidelines has broad implications on cost, morbidity and psychological factors. And while he recommends additional studies to compare survival with and without a screening strategy for bladder cancer, he added, "Biomarker tests may have a role in screening high risk groups of men and women."