Veran Medical Technologies Poised to Help Hospitals Handle Lung Cancer Screening Patient Influx

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Veran Medical Technologies, the electromagnetic navigation experts, announces its plan to support hospital efforts in building the infrastructure necessary to handle the flood of new patients who will be covered by insurance for lung cancer screening. On December 30, 2013, The U.S. Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) issued its final recommendation approving CT screening for those at high risk for lung cancer. The recommendation sets the stage for both public and private insurance coverage and is expected to bring about a dramatic increase in lung cancer survival.

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Veran's ig4™ platform is an electromagnetic navigation system that allows physicians to biopsy solitary pulmonary nodules for the potential early diagnosis of lung cancer.  Only Veran offers EM navigation technology that can help both lung specialists and radiologists reach suspicious nodules in the periphery of the lung.

The USPSTF's high-risk populations include current and former smokers, ages 55-80 years, who have significant cumulative tobacco smoke exposure and have smoked within the last 15 years. Lung cancer causes more deaths in men and women than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined¹. If lung cancer is diagnosed at Stage III or IV, the five-year survival rate is only 15%².  With early detection, there is an 88% survival rate at ten years and a 92% survival rate with the immediate removal of the lesion³. Prior to the recent development of electromagnetic navigation, as recommended for use in ACCP guidelines, only 16% of lung cancer patients have been diagnosed at an early, localized stage³.

"We are excited about the USPSTF's announcement that will result in saving lives through early diagnosis, in which Veran's electromagnetic navigation technology plays an essential role," said Rob Powers, Vice President of Marketing at Veran. "This influx in patients will drive the need to efficiently diagnose lung cancer. Today patients face a complex and often frustrating process that can require multiple visits and increased costs. Veran's technology not only offers the most advanced bronchoscopy navigation system, but we also offer needle or percutaneous navigation. We recently launched www.riskforcancer.com as a part of our detailed plan to help hospitals with patient flow. Veran also partners with organizations such as the Lung Cancer Alliance to ensure the most comprehensive lung cancer screening for our hospitals. We believe that no other company can impact a lung program like Veran; it is a very exciting time for us!"

"Today the tide has turned in our battle against lung cancer," said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, President and CEO of Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA), a national organization long recognized for its efforts to bring the benefit of responsible screening to those at risk. "We can and will save tens of thousands of lives. We can and will continue to ensure adherence to the proven best practices to guide the screening, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. We can and will use this to accelerate research into all aspects of lung cancer," she said.

Veran's ig4™ system offers a customized navigation solution to hospitals focused on the early detection of cancer. Over 40 hospitals in the U.S. alone have already purchased a system from Veran, which set new sales records in each quarter of 2013.  

About Veran Medical Technologies. Veran Medical Technologies is a privately held soft tissue navigation company focused on the early diagnosis of cancer.  Multiple specialties use Veran's electromagnetic navigation platform to enhance hospital oncology programs.  The technology is used to assist with lung, kidney and liver procedures endobronchially or percutaneously for biopsies, ablations, drainages and more.   Veran Medical Technologies is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

About Lung Cancer Alliance.  Lung Cancer Alliance is the only national non-profit organization dedicated solely to providing support and advocacy for people living with or at risk for the disease. LCA's mission is ending injustice and saving lives through an alliance of advocacy, education and support. LCA's vision is to reduce lung cancer mortality by at least 50% by 2020.

References:  1) American College of Chest Physicians www.chestnet.org/lungcancer. 2) The International Early Lung Cancer Action Program Investigators. Survival of patients with stage I lung cancer detected on CT screening. The New England Journal of Medicine 2006; 355:1763-1771. 3) Ries L, Eisner M, Kosary C, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2003, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda MD, http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2003/.

Veran Medical Technologies Media Contact

Michelle Berkley, Marketing Manager | 314.659.8500 | www.veranmedical.com

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