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SCOLISCORE™ Prognostic AIS Test May Reduce Frequent X-Rays and Doctor Visits for Low Risk Patients
(PLANO, TEXAS – June 17) A new simple saliva test that helps physicians determine which children diagnosed with mild adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are least likely to develop a painful and debilitating curvature of the spine is now available at the Baylor Scoliosis Center for the first time.
The SCOLISCORE Prognostic AIS Test, uses the science of genetics to help physicians identity low risk patients, potentially saving them from years of repeated office visits and x-ray exposure as well as the stress and anxiety associated with the uncertainty of scoliosis curve progression.[1]
The researchers who developed the SCOLISCORE Test identified over 50 DNA markers that are linked to the progressive form of scoliosis. The fewer of these genetic markers found in saliva, the lower the score and lower the risk of curve progression. Patients can get a score anywhere between 1 and 200. A score of 50 or less is considered low risk.
About 7 million people in the U.S. have scoliosis.[2] Most of them are children between 10 and 15 years old. Fortunately, in most cases, scoliosis is mild or moderate and generally does not require medical treatment. However, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), scoliosis progresses in one-in-four patients to a point that requires treatment including physical therapy, back bracing and for some, spinal fusion surgery.[3]
“Until recently, all scoliosis patients were monitored the same way because there was no clinically reliable test available to assist doctors in identifying low risk patients,” said Richard Hostin, MD, orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of Baylor Scoliosis Center. “This test, used in conjunction with other diagnostic information available when initially diagnosed, could potentially reduce the number of x-rays and office visits required and ease patients and parents from the uncertainty of whether or not their scoliosis will progress.”
To administer the test, a saliva sample is collected in the physician’s office and then sent to Axial Biotech for analysis. Test results are typically available within a few weeks.
Backed by clinical data from nearly 10,000 scoliosis patients worldwide, the SCOLISCORE Test has been shown to be 99% predictive for children who score in the low risk group[4] – the majority of patients. Those who score in the intermediate or high risk groups are expected to continue to be closely monitored for curve progression.
The SCOLISCORE Test is intended for Caucasian children between age 9 and 13 diagnosed with mild adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS).[5] The SCOLISCORE Test results can help physicians understand the likelihood of curve progression, but does not identify which treatments to use. Test results should be used with other diagnostic information to help the patient and physician determine the best course of treatment.
The SCOLISCORE Test is the first commercially available genetic test for a spine deformity. Unlike other kinds of genetic testing, the SCOLISCORE Test helps predict the risk of severity of the condition once it is diagnosed. It does not predict an individual’s susceptibility to inherit the condition.
Most scoliosis is initially detected in school screenings or by a parent who notices something wrong with posture or observes unevenness in the shoulders. If scoliosis is suspected, a physician performs an x-ray to evaluate the extent of the curvature and make a clinical diagnosis.[6] Scoliosis can lead to chronic back pain, reduced respiratory function and impact quality of life by limiting activity and affecting self-esteem.[7]
If the spinal curve is or progresses to between 25° to 45°, back bracing is generally recommended in an attempt to stop curve progression. If the curve progresses beyond 45, spinal fusion surgery is considered to reduce the curvature and strengthen and straighten the spine.[8] According to the National Scoliosis Foundation, each year scoliosis patients make more than 600,000 visits to private physician offices and about 30,000 children are braced. Most do not progress to a degree needing surgical intervention; however, approximately 38,000 children undergo spinal fusion surgeries each year.[9]
For more information about the SCOLISCORE Test, visit www.scoliscore.com. To register your child for the SCOLISCORE Test, call 972.985.2797.
About Baylor Scoliosis Center
The Baylor Scoliosis Center is a national referral center located on the campuses of Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano and Baylor All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth and focuses on the care of adolescent and adult scoliosis. It is the first Center of its kind in the Dallas/Fort Worth area devoted to treatment, surgery and care of advanced spinal curvature. The center has provided care to more than 1,000 people living with the pain and disfigurement of scoliosis – even those who were previously told their condition was untreatable. For more information visit www.TheBaylorScoliosisCenter.com.
About Baylor Plano
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano is a 112-bed acute care hospital committed to serving North Texas residents with personalized care and advanced technology on a beautiful campus with hotel-like amenities and all private rooms. Services at the not-for-profit, fully-accredited facility include treatment for advanced spine deformities at the Baylor Scoliosis Center, neurosciences, orthopaedics, medical and radiation oncology, surgical weight loss, women’s services, gynecology, urology, gastroenterology, pulmonary medicine, sleep disorders, pain management, diabetes management and more. Patients have access to digital imaging onsite at Baylor Plano and at the Baylor Diagnostic Imaging Center at Craig Ranch, an outpatient department of Baylor Plano. The hospital is the first in North Dallas and Collin County to offer minimally invasive robotic surgery for gynecology and prostate procedures through the FDA-approved da Vinci® S Surgical System. The hospital has won several quality awards including the Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Award of Excellence and is designated a Pathway to Excellence™ hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Jerri Garison is president of Baylor Plano. For fiscal year 2009, Baylor recorded $3.9 billion in total assets and $452.4 million community benefit. For more information, visit www.BaylorHealth.com/Plano
*Represents preliminary information that will be reported to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System¹s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano or Baylor Health Care System.
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