Cervical cancer is the 4^th leading cause of cancer deaths in Finland for women aged 15-44 years and has an annual total of 143 cervical cancer cases with a mortality of 53.

Finland has a national HPV vaccination programme for females aged 12-13 years along with a national screening programme for women aged 30-60 invited every 5 years, with a total coverage of 69%. This equates to approximately 16,000 colposcopies per annum.

In 2017, the Helsinki University Hospital undertook a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) of ZedScan™ to evaluate the clinical and health economic benefits of the adjunctive diagnostic device. The hospital receives around 3,000 new referrals to colposcopy each year. The assessment was led by Dr Pekka Nieminen, Associate Professor and Chief Physician within the Obstetrics and Gynaecology department and President Elect of the European Federation of Colposcopy (EFC).

152 patients who had been referred to colposcopy took part in the study. Data showed that the use of ZedScan resulted in a 13.2% increase in the detection of high grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-CIN) when compared to standard colposcopy alone. Of the increased detection, 43% were in low grade (LSIL) referrals where visual indicators may not always be apparent.

This real-world data also showed that the integration of ZedScan into routine colposcopy could mean 30% fewer biopsies and an increase in treatment at first visit as it provides clinicians with additional information to support clinical decision making. This would positively impact the health economics for the hospital.

Following the HTA, Helsinki University Hospital has fully adopted ZedScan into routine use across all of their clinics and it continues to support better patient management, providing an improved service to women attending colposcopy.

ZedScan™ is a unique adjunct diagnostic device which uses Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) technology to identify cell changes that cannot always be seen during standard colposcopy practice. EIS differentiates between normal, pre-cancerous and cancerous tissue, and provides clinicians with an opportunity to identify cell changes earlier.

Finland based Kebomed are working with Zilico and have responsibility for distribution and support of ZedScan across Finland. Kebomed is a specialist supplier of innovative medical devices with a primary focus on minimal invasive gynaecology and patient experience. 

Zilico look forward to developing our partnerships in Finland to support and improve colposcopy services as we expand our ZedScan presence.