Prompt, accurate diagnosis brings women peace of mind

Toronto, CANADA--February 14, 2001--MDS Inc. (TSE: MDS; NYSE: MDZ) is now providing national access to a new test for predicting the possibility of cervical cancer.

This test can bring 'peace of mind' to many Canadian women who have abnormal Pap test results. For those not infected with Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the analysis of a simple swab will save months of anxious waiting and unnecessary colposcopies. In women with HPV, early detection and treatment can prevent cervical cancer.

The HPV-DNA test, introduced this month by MDS uses the Digene Hybrid Capture Assay to accurately detect the DNA of high-risk types of HPV. HPV is present in 99.7 per cent of cervical cancers and persistent high-risk HPV infection increases, by over 250 times, the risk of developing cervical cancer.

MDS is the first clinical laboratory to offer national access to this test. This is part of the MDS growing commitment to offer new, high quality diagnostic tests to all Canadians and to ensure that physicians and patients have access to information that will help them make better healthcare choices.

The National Cancer Institute of Canada estimates that 1,450 Canadian women are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, while 430 women die unnecessarily because of the disease. However, detecting and treating HPV infection early can prevent 90 per cent of such cancers.

While Papanicolaou (Pap) testing has helped to reduce cervical cancer rates dramatically, managing women, whose tests results are indeterminate, remains a complex clinical challenge. The most common abnormal result from a routine Pap test is one of uncertainty; atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS). Currently, women with ASCUS are either followed closely for a period of three months to two years with repeat Pap tests. Some women may eventually undergo colposcopy -- a more invasive procedure in which a gynaecologist uses a lighted magnifying instrument to look at the cervix.

"Waiting eight to twelve weeks for an appointment with a specialist, plus the anxiety associated with having a colposcopy and possible biopsy can be very stressful for a woman," says Dr. Nancy Durand, a Toronto gynaecologist associated with Women's College Hospital. Now a woman with an ASCUS Pap test result can return to her physician for the HPV-DNA test. This simple procedure requires a swab of the vagina-cervical area, similar to that taken for the Pap test.

"If we know early on that a woman doesn't have HPV, we can avoid invasive treatment," adds Dr. Durand. If the result is negative for high risk HPV, the woman and her physician can be confident that she is not currently at risk for cervical disease. If positive, the woman should be referred immediately for a colposcopy and further treatment, if appropriate.

"Our HPV-DNA testing, using the Digene Hybrid Capture Assay, is very accurate, detecting nearly 90 per cent of high-grade lesions," says Dr. Alicia Sarabia, Medical Director of Microbiology for MDS Laboratory Services.
"Test results are available within ten days. It is expected that using HPV-DNA testing could significantly decrease unnecessary colposcopies and treatment."

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is very common in sexually active women, with recent testing indicating that almost one in four Ontario women between the ages of 20 to 24 years is infected. In most, the infection clears without treatment. However, in a small percentage of women with high-risk HPV, the infection persists and proceeds to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), precursor lesions for cervical cancer. It takes about 15 years for HPV infection to proceed to cancer, and this allows time for successful intervention and treatment to prevent cervical cancer.

International research studies clearly show that the combination of Pap smear and HPV-DNA testing is more effective in detecting pre-cancerous lesions than either test used alone. HPV-DNA testing has been used in Canada for research purposes an in some provinces for diagnostic purposes. Now it is available to all physicians across Canada through the MDS national testing platform.
While some, but not all, provincial programs cover this test, private insurers may reimburse the $90 fee for the test and the patient may pay directly.

MDS is the largest provider of diagnostic services in Canada. MDS provides national access to a comprehensive menu of diagnostic laboratory tests. These diagnostic tests range from routine tests such as glucose testing for diabetes, to more complex testing such as hepatitis or H. pylori testing, and then on to new, highly specialized tests, for example, the patented genetic predisposition testing for cancers. The MDS COL-LAB-ORATE(TM) program provides health care providers and consumers with access to diagnostic testing information. For more information, visit www.mdscollaborate.com.(Editor's note, Nov. 2003--COL-LAB-ORATE test information is now found on the www.mdsdx.com website under Test Information.)

MDS Inc. (TSE: MDS; NYSE: MDZ) is an international health and life sciences company. The MDS focus is on using science to advance health, to fight disease. It does this by providing: laboratory testing, imaging agents for nuclear medicine testing, sterilization systems for medical and consumer products, research services to speed discovery and development of new drugs, therapy systems for planning and delivery of cancer treatment, analytical instruments to assist in the development of new drugs, and medical/surgical supplies. MDS employs more than 10,000 highly skilled people at its global operations on five continents.

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