ChromaVision Collaborates With University of Vermont Researcher On Breast Cancer Diagnostic Test.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 22, 1999--

ChromaVision Medical Systems Inc. (Nasdaq/NM:CVSN), developer of unique cellular imaging diagnostics and manufacturer of the Automated Cellular Imaging System (ACIS(TM)), Wednesday announced that it has teamed with the University of Vermont and David N. Krag, M.D., FACS, Professor of Surgery and Chief, Surgical Oncology Service, to optimize and validate a new ACIS application for sentinel lymph node mapping, a key diagnostic indicator in breast cancer patients.

This procedure could replace axillary lymph node dissection, an invasive surgical procedure currently used to guide breast cancer treatment. If the sentinel lymph node(s), or the first node(s) to absorb cancer cells from a tumor, can be identified, a biopsy of that node can be a highly predictive tool for the oncologist.

Krag is working with ChromaVision to optimize a precise application that will accurately identify the sentinel node for biopsy, providing the necessary predictive information for treatment decisions and potentially sparing the patient the dangerous axillary node dissection procedure.

Sentinel node mapping will be performed using the ACIS with the immunohistochemical staining method that is covered under the company's 510(k) clearance issued by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July 1999. These tests are recommended for almost all breast cancer patients.

Krag, a leading surgeon and cancer researcher for more than 15 years, is the inventor of radioactively guided sentinel lymph node mapping as applied to breast cancer and has authored numerous publications on his research.

A recent article authored by Krag and published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported the findings of a study involving 443 breast cancer patients. The study showed that while axillary lymph node dissection provides some prognostic information, it has minimal therapeutic benefit and is responsible for most of the morbidity associated with breast surgery.

Axillary lymph node dissection results in complications in up to 80 percent of women who undergo the surgery, with post surgical side effects ranging from arm pain to lymphedema, a serious complication which causes swelling usually in the arm, and sometimes the adjacent trunk quadrant. If untreated, lymphedema can require lifelong management.

Krag commented: "Sentinel lymph node analysis holds the promise to be a revolutionary tool to enhance breast cancer patient care. Current manual evaluation is very tedious and potentially inaccurate. The ability of the ACIS to detect rare cellular conditions accurately brings a new level of sensitivity to the sentinel node analysis."

This test has broad applicability with approximately 180,000 cases of breast cancer diagnosed each year in the United States alone. Sentinel node analysis is also being studied as a significant prognostic indicator in many other types of cancers. ChromaVision expects to announce additional collaborations to evaluate this technique for use as a diagnostic tool for a number of these cancer types.

ChromaVision CEO and President Dr. Douglas S. Harrington stated, "Much like other ACIS applications for breast cancer, sentinel node mapping provides the medical professional with a more objective and accurate method of determining which treatment option is best for each individual patient.

"The ability to assess the unique characteristics and aggressiveness of a patient's disease, without subjecting that patient to axillary lymph node dissection, is a significant step forward in breast cancer management."

About ChromaVision Medical Systems

ChromaVision Medical Systems manufactures and markets an advanced cellular imaging system designed to advance the detection, diagnosis and treatment of cellular disease. The Automated Cellular Imaging System (ACIS(TM)) combines proprietary, color-based imaging technology with automated microscopy to bring unprecedented sensitivity, accuracy and reproducibility to cancer, infectious disease and genetic cell-based diagnostics.

ChromaVision currently markets its products to physicians and researchers in university medical centers and commercial laboratories throughout the world.

ChromaVision Medical Systems was formed by XL Vision Inc., and is a Safeguard Scientifics Inc. (NYSE:SFE) partnership company.

For more information on ChromaVision Medical Systems visit the company's Web site at http://www.chromavision.com.

The statements contained herein regarding ChromaVision Medical Systems Inc. contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainty. Future events and the company's actual results could differ materially from the results reflected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to, uncertainty of success in developing any new diagnostic test, failure to obtain FDA clearance or approval for particular applications and dependence on third parties for clinical testing.

Note to Editors: ACIS is a trademark of ChromaVision Medical Systems Inc.