Published Study Shows 81% of Women Want SpectRx Non-Invasive Cervical Cancer Test to Replace...

Business Editors

NORCROSS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2003

87% would recommend the test to a friend;

85% want their doctor to have the test

Eighty-one percent of women tested with SpectRx's (OTCBB: SPRX) non-invasive cervical cancer detection prototypes

wanted the test to be used as a replacement for the invasive Pap test, according to a study published in the current edition of the Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease. Additionally, 87 percent of women who took the SpectRx test would recommend it to a friend who is to undergo an exam for cervical disease.

More than 96 percent of women surveyed favored the SpectRx test as a method for locating the presence of disease and reducing the number of biopsies. Additionally, the study reported that 85 percent of participants wanted their doctor to have the test and 91 percent wanted their insurance company to pay for it. Clinical studies, supported by the National Cancer Institute, reported that the SpectRx test detected 16 percent more high-grade precancers than Pap tests, the majority of which were the thin layer Pap tests.

"Results this highly favorable are virtually unheard of in the world of medical diagnostics and indicate that our method of using light to non-invasively test for cervical disease will be highly desired by women," said Keith D. Ignotz, SpectRx, Inc. senior executive vice president, who is responsible for the company's Guided Therapeutics cancer business subsidiary. "We believe that when this product is available it will be a practice builder for physicians, improve the efficiency and reduce the cost to the health care system by eliminating unnecessary biopsies and provide a more compassionate method of cervical disease diagnosis for women."

The study was conducted at the Medical College of Georgia Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Center by principal investigator Daron G. Ferris, MD. A group of 176 women who completed the non-invasive test and a colposcopic examination completed a 24-item questionnaire, which included a series of questions regarding their willingness to use or recommend the test. Guided Therapeutics provided the device for the trial, but did not provide any financial assistance for the independent study.

Guided Therapeutics, Inc., which is focused on commercializing non-invasive cancer detection technology, is a wholly owned subsidiary company of SpectRx, Inc. As part of its strategy to separate its diabetes and cancer opportunities, SpectRx intends to separately privately finance Guided Therapeutics.