Ottawa-headquartered  Zarlink Semiconductor has announced that its custom RF (radio frequency) integrated circuit is being used in Given Imaging's new PillCam COLON 2 camera capsule for wireless examination of the colon. The new camera capsule provides a patient-friendly alternative for visualizing the colon. Given Imaging launched this product at the recent GASTRO 2009 meeting in London and plans to begin marketing PillCam COLON 2 in Europe in 2010. (PillCam COLON 2 is not approved for use in the USA.)

PillCam COLON 2 is a smooth, plastic capsule which can be easily swallowed by the patient without requiring sedation, intubation, air insufflation, hospitalization or radiation. The capsule contains tiny cameras at each end, a light source and Zarlink's ultra-low power RF transceiver. Zarlink's RF chip transmits images from the PillCam COLON 2 to an external data recorder as the vitamin-sized capsule passes naturally through the patient's colon. Zarlink's RF technology is in use in Given Imaging's PillCam SB video capsules for visualizing the small bowel.

According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer diagnosis and the second-leading cause of death from cancer for both men and women in the United States. About 150,000 new cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed this year, with the disease expected to cause about 50,000 deaths. The Canadian Colorectal Cancer Association estimates that 22,000 Canadians will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 9,100 will die from it this year. Colorectal screening can result in the detection and removal of polyps before they become cancerous, as well as discover the disease at its earliest stages.