Cancer Screening Update

RNS Number:1624R
Medical Solutions PLC
22 October 2003





October 22, 2003



          Medical Solutions announces Department of Health decision on

                             Liquid Based Cytology





Medical Solutions (LSE: MLS), the cancer diagnostics company, announces that the
Department of Health has today accepted the decision by NICE that a new cervical
screening system - Liquid Based Cytology ("LBC") will replace the current
cervical smear test in England and Wales.



Medical Solutions will supply its SurePath LBC system, which has been used for
the NICE (National Institute of Clinical Excellence) pilot study.   The
excellent results the SurePath LBC System obtained in the NICE pilot for both
cancer detection and reduction in inadequate tests has greatly contributed to
the decision by DOH  to adopt the NICE guidance on LBC in England and Wales.



The SurePath LBC system is more effective than conventional smear tests in
picking up likely cancer cases and US studies have demonstrated a 64.4%
improvement over conventional methods in the detection of high grade
abnormalities. The system introduced by SurePath is automated thereby reducing
any operator errors and increasing the efficiency of the new LBC test. Early
detection of such abnormalities greatly increases the chances of effective
treatment.



LBC is also a significant step towards the introduction of even more powerful
detection tools in the future including automatic imaging and molecular markers.
The SurePath LBC system already has some of these systems approved in the US and
trials are underway in the UK.



Charles Green CEO of Medical Solutions said



"We are delighted by the Department of Health's adoption of LBC in England and
Wales.  The Medical Solutions Surepath LBC system is one of only two FDA
approved products and our unique technologies will ensure greatly improved
collection and screening of the four million smears performed every year."



Contact:



Medical Solutions
Charles Green, Chief Executive Officer             Tel: [phone]



Beattie Financial
Mike Wort/ Ann-marie Wilkinson                     Tel: [phone]





Notes to Editors



Cytology Screening

The current screening programme is based on the 'Pap' smear test. During a smear
a sample of cells is collected from the woman's cervix (neck of the womb) using
a disposable spatula device. The smear usually takes place at the GP surgery, or
in a community clinic. The sample collected is spread on to a glass slide and
sprayed with, or dipped in a liquid to fix the sample onto the slide. The slide
is then sent to a hospital laboratory for examination by a cytologist. The
hospital laboratory examines the sample with a microscope to look for cells that
show signs of pre-cancerous changes. If these types of cell are found, the
patient may be called back for further tests. Some slides cannot be interpreted
because of various problems and are termed 'inadequate', in which case women are
invited to attend for a repeat test.



There are some problems associated with the Pap smear technique related to
errors during acquisition of the smear and the laboratory methodology used to
evaluate the specimens produced. There are also relatively high levels of '
inadequate' test results.(i.e. slides that cannot be interpreted because of
problems in their preparation).


In addition, significant numbers of Pap smear results are 'borderline' or '
mildly abnormal', leading, under current screening policy, to women being called
back at a reduced screening interval and possibly having additional examinations
such as colposcopy and biopsy. Repeat screening and additional tests cause
distress and inconvenience to the women involved and have significant cost
implications.



Liquid Based Cytology

Liquid based Cytology (LBC) techniques, offer a new way to prepare the smear
sample for examination in the laboratory. LBC, works in a similar fashion to the
standard Pap smear, however with LBC the cell sample is collected using a
special spatula device that gently brushes cells from the cervix. The head of
the device is then rinsed or broken off into a vial of preservative fluid with
little or no loss of material in the original sample. This sample is then sent
to the hospital laboratory, where the slide is prepared by the cytology team and
examined.






                      This information is provided by RNS
            The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
END

MSCMTBRTMMJTMLJ