VolitionRx Limited anticipates Nu.Q Triage Colorectal Cancer Screening Test (blood test) CE Mark in 2016.

VolitionRx Limited a life sciences company focused on developing diagnostic tests for cancer, announced that it expects to receive CE Marking on its Nu.Q Triage Colorectal Cancer Screening Test (blood test) in late 2016 and aims to begin marketing the test commencing in early 2017.

The Triage test, developed at Volition's laboratories in Belgium in conjunction with Hvidovre Hospital, University of Copenhagen, has demonstrated the potential to reduce colonoscopies by 25% while maintaining almost 97% detection of colorectal cancer. Data supporting the test results will be presented at the forthcoming European Society for Medical Oncology Conference in October 2016. Volition plans initially to focus its launch of the test in the EU member states, which have an aggregate screening age population of approximately 148 million persons.

The most frequently used first line screening test for colorectal cancer across Europe is the faecal immunochemical test (FIT). Patients with a positive score following FIT tests are then referred for colonoscopy. However, 94.8% of people who test positive with FIT do not have colorectal cancer. This means there are a significant number of unnecessary expensive and invasive colonoscopies performed, placing a severe burden on both the patient and the healthcare system. For countries utilizing the Nu.Q test, patients with a positive FIT score could subsequently be given the blood-based Nu.Q Triage Colorectal Cancer Screening Test and then only be referred for colonoscopy if the combined test results indicate that it is necessary, thus potentially reducing colonoscopy referrals by 25%.