TransScan Medical (www.TSCAN.org) is pioneering a breakthrough platform technology that uses Electrical Impedance Scanning (EIS) to detect breast tumors as small as 2 millimeters. T-Scan(TM) does not use radiation such as X- rays or radio nuclides, does not require compression of the breast, and does not require an injection or biopsy-sampling of the breast tissue via needle or surgical incision. The short, 6 minute exam is entirely painless and offers instantaneous results.

The T-Scan(TM) 2000ED addresses the crucial need for effective screening in young women who are too young for mammography screening. Ultimately, the company expects the T-Scan(TM) exam to become part of the annual physical, along with pap test and clinical breast exam, for all young women.

Upon being crowned Miss America, Katie Harman announced that her platform during her year of service would be breast cancer outreach. Harman has worked closely with breast cancer patients, families, doctors and health care professionals by traveling an average of 20,000 miles per month over the past year. She has been a tireless advocate directing the Miss America spotlight to issues surrounding quality of life for all individuals battling breast cancer, including the need for comprehensive treatment and access to life-saving medications and technologies.

"I am thrilled and honored to be joining the Patient Advisory Board of TransScan Medical," said Katie Harman. "I strongly believe this is a technology that is going to save many lives. With breast cancer being the leading cause of cancer death in women under 40, and the single leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 to 49, it is vital that we develop safe, new technologies for early detection in younger women. I think I speak for many young women who feel that manual breast exam is really not sufficient as a stand alone method for early detection of breast cancer."

Katie Harman was drawn to the issue of breast cancer after becoming involved with a charitable foundation in her hometown of Gresham, Oregon that assisted individuals living with advanced breast cancer. Harman also served as a trauma surgery apprentice and conducted supervised cancer research at Oregon Health & Sciences University, further fostering her understanding of quality health care and disease progression.

"The T-Scan(TM) exam is unique in that it offers several uncommon advantages, but most importantly, the device has an exceedingly low false positive rate. This ensures that our patients are rarely alarmed by false positive results," said Ron Ginor, M.D., president of TransScan Medical, Inc. "Katie's high regard in the community and profound depth of knowledge will help educate women worldwide on the benefits of this, and other new technologies that can assist in early detection. We know that Katie will play a central role in empowering young women to take better control of their breast health."

Nearly 40 million women in the United States are below the recommended age (40) for screening mammography, and therefore have no adequate means of breast cancer detection. Mammography is not recommended for screening in young women due to its reduced sensitivity and specificity in dense breast tissue and concern about increased lifetime exposure to radiation. The only currently available means of breast cancer detection for young women is the Self Breast Exam (SBE) and Clinical Breast Exam (CBE, also known as palpation). Cancers found by SBE and CBE generally must reach a size of 7 to 10 millimeters before they are palpable, and are often more advanced and difficult to treat, and have been growing for up to 6 years prior to reaching this size. Late diagnosis not only appears to effect mortality, but clearly yields more aggressive treatment, including mastectomy and systemic chemotherapy, which can commonly be avoided with early detection.

Data from a multi-center study recently presented at the annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) showed that the TransScan technology can be 100 percent sensitive, detecting 29 of 29 miniscule cancers less than one centimeter (0.39th of an inch) in size.

The T-Scan(TM) 2000ED is currently undergoing clinical trials in several medical centers. The clinical evaluation of EIS for the detection of breast cancer is being carried out as a prospective multi-center clinical trial. The examinations will be conducted in gynecologist/family practitioner offices that refer women with positive EIS examinations to specific radiological centers for further work-up (sonography, mammography and if indicated, biopsy).

    CONTACT:
     Brian Berger
     BBPR Inc.
     brianb@brianbergerpr.com
     503.228.7843

     Susan Sweenie
     Ronald Trahan Associates
     ssweenie@ronaldtrahan.com
     508.647.9782, ext. 20