Collaboration of the leading provider of HPV testing solutions and the Cancer Foundation of China aims to raise awareness for prevention of the world’s second most common cancer
BEIJING--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To mark International Women’s Day on March 8th, QIAGEN will provide human papillomavirus (HPV) testing products for the testing of underprivileged women at 29 hospitals across China. The free testing program is part of the larger “3.8 Program” – a nationwide prevention campaign organized by the Cancer Foundation of China and partially sponsored by QIAGEN. HPV is the primary cause of cervical cancer.
“QIAGEN is proud to continue its partnership with the Cancer Foundation of China after the success of last year’s event,” said Dr. Victor Shi, Asia Area President of QIAGEN. “We must continue to increase awareness and work to make testing more widespread. If we are successful at this, cervical cancer can and will become a disease of the past.” For the second year in a row, QIAGEN will provide HPV testing kits to the 29 hospitals taking part in the cervical cancer screening aspect of the event. These kits will be used in the screening of several thousand underprivileged women throughout China.
According to the Cancer Foundation of China, 17 of the hospitals involved in the 2008 cervical cancer screening activity reported their result, providing statistics for the testing of 1,617 women. Of those screened, 30 were found to have mild dysplasia (abnormal cell growth) due to HPV infection (CIN1), 5 had moderate dysplasia (CIN2), 4 had severe dysplasia (CIN3), and 5 were found to have invasive cervical cancer. All women found to have CIN2/3 and cancer were referred to local medical centers for further diagnosis and surgery if appropriate.
“Our goal at the Cancer Foundation of China is to improve awareness of cervical cancer and HPV screening in China to save lives,” said Prof. Qiao Youlin, General Director of the event and Chief of the Department of Cancer Epidemiology at the Cancer Institute, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. “Like QIAGEN, we believe that the best in preventative care, including HPV testing, should be available to all women. Last year we were able to help hundreds of women reduce their risk of developing cervical cancer.”
Cervical cancer is the second-most-common cancer affecting women worldwide. Testing women over the age of 30 for the virus that causes the disease significantly improves healthcare professionals’ ability to identify women at risk. When used along with the Pap, QIAGEN’s digene? HPV Test can help drastically reduce the annual number of cervical cancer deaths in China and around the world.
About HPV and Cervical Cancer:
Worldwide, cervical cancer affects nearly 500,000 women annually and, after breast cancer, is the second most common malignancy found in women. Cervical cancer is caused by “high-risk” types of the human papillomavirus (HPV). It’s estimated that 80 percent of women will get an HPV infection at some point in their lives. However, in most cases, the infection goes away or is suppressed by the body without causing problems. It is only infections that persist that can cause abnormal cells to form that may develop into cervical cancer if not detected and treated early.
About QIAGEN:
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company, is the leading global provider of sample and assay technologies. Sample technologies are used to isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from biological samples such as blood or tissue. Assay technologies are used to make such isolated biomolecules visible. QIAGEN has developed and markets more than 500 consumable products as well as automated solutions for such consumables. The company provides its products to molecular diagnostics laboratories, academic researchers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and applied testing customers for purposes such as forensics, animal or food testing and pharmaceutical process control. QIAGEN's assay technologies include one of the broadest panels of molecular diagnostic tests available worldwide. This panel includes the only FDA-approved test for human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer. QIAGEN employs more than 3,000 people in over 30 locations worldwide. Further information about QIAGEN can be found at www.qiagen.com.
About the Cancer Foundation of China:
The Cancer Foundation of China was founded on Oct. 26, 1984. It is a national, non-profit foundation that aims to push forward the development of cancer research, prevention and treatment in China. The scope of the foundation covers various aspects of the cancer research, prevention and treatment, including communications, education and training, prevention and control, fundamental research, application, clinical research, and rehabilitation and analgesia.
Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements, including statements about our products, markets, strategy and operating results. Such statements are based on current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, those associated with: management of growth and international operations (including currency fluctuations and logistics), variability of our operating results, commercial development of our markets (including applied testing, clinical and academic research, proteomics, women’s health/HPV testing and molecular diagnostics), our relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners, competition, changes in technology, fluctuations in demand, regulatory requirements, identifying, developing and producing integrated products differentiated from our competitors' products, market acceptance of our products, and integration of acquired technologies and businesses. For further information, refer to our filings with the SEC, including our latest Form 20-F. Information in this release is as of the date of the release, and we undertake no duty to update this information unless required by law.
Contacts
QIAGEN
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Brendan Green, Project Coordinator
Phone: +86-21-3865-3824
Email:
brendan.green@qiagen.com
or
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Dr. Thomas Theuringer, Associate Director Public Relations
Phone: +49-2103-29-11826
Email: thomas.theuringer@qiagen.com