NORCROSS, Ga.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Guided Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: GTHP) announced today that access to the LuViva® Advanced Cervical Scan has been expanded to Costa Rica, bringing to 20 the number of countries where the Company has shipped its non-invasive, point-of-care cervical cancer detection technology.

“We are pleased to see our growing traction among doctors, governments and distributors in the developing world as stakeholders increasingly recognize that LuViva can help prevent women’s cervical cancer through earlier detection,” said Gene Cartwright, CEO of Guided Therapeutics. “We will continue to focus on new markets, like Costa Rica and others, where LuViva will be used as a front line screener for cervical cancer.”

World-wide, the market for cervical cancer screening and diagnostics, as currently practiced using cytology (Pap test) for primary screening, is estimated at $6 billion and is projected to grow to almost $9 billion by 2020. Worldwide there are about 2.6 billion women aged 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer.

In Costa Rica, a pilot program using LuViva for screening is set to begin in the coming weeks. Costa Rica has a population of over 1.8 million women ages 15 years and older who are at risk of developing cervical cancer. Current estimates indicate that every year 297 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 116 die from the disease. Cervical cancer ranks as the 3rd most frequent cancer among women between 15 and 44 years of age in Costa Rica.

About LuViva® Advanced Cervical Scan

LuViva is a technologically advanced diagnostic device that scans the cervix with light and uses spectroscopy to measure how light interacts with the cervical tissue. Spectroscopy identifies chemical and structural indicators of precancer that may be below the surface of the cervix or misdiagnosed as benign. This technique is called biophotonics. Unlike Pap, HPV tests or biopsies, LuViva does not require laboratory analysis or a tissue sample, and is designed to provide results immediately, which may result in eliminating costly, painful and unnecessary additional testing. LuViva is intended for use with women who have undergone initial screening and are called back for follow up with a colposcopy examination, which in many cases, involves taking a biopsy of the cervix. It has also been used in clinical studies in Turkey and Nigeria as a means to screen women for cervical cancer where the availability of infrastructure necessary for Pap and HPV testing is restricted. The device is used in conjunction with the LuViva® Cervical Guide single-use patient interface and calibration disposable.

About Guided Therapeutics

Guided Therapeutics, Inc. (OTCQB: GTHP) is the maker of a rapid and painless testing platform based on its patented biophotonic technology that utilizes light for the early detection of disease at the cellular level. The Company’s first product is the LuViva® Advanced Cervical Scan, a non-invasive device used to detect cervical disease instantly and at the point of care. In a multi-center clinical trial, with women at risk for cervical disease, the technology was able to detect cervical cancer up to two years earlier than conventional modalities, according to published reports. For more information, visit: www.guidedinc.com.