Care Oncology Partners with WellnessScript to Offer Mental Health support to cancer patients

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / November 7, 2023 / StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd. (TSX:SZLS)(OTCQB:SZLSF) ("StageZero" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated healthcare company devoted to improving the early detection and management of cancer and other chronic diseases through leading-edge molecular diagnostics and clinical interventions, announces that its Clinical Business, Care Oncology, has added the fourth of a series of new program offerings. Pinky Jimenez-Agrawal, with WellnessScript, will provide mental health support specifically for cancer patients at twice-monthly clinics. The first clinic is Thursday November 9, 2023 and is open to patients globally.

Screening to find cancer early is the first pillar (Aristotle^TM); adjunctive treatment with the Care Oncology Protocol is the second; nutritional guidance tailored to the type and stage of the cancer is the third pillar and mental health support is the fourth pillar. The Company believes that these additional offerings present an excellent entry point for cancer patients to be introduced to the full Care Oncology program.

"Mental Health support is a key component of medical care today - the problems that a medical diagnosis brings, in todays very unsettled world, are further exacerbated by receiving a diagnosis of cancer. The subsequent days, months and even years might be filled with anxiety. Cancer, naturally, carries a lot of negative associations" commented James Howard-Tripp, Chairman and CEO of StageZero Life Sciences. "Ms Jimenez-Agrawal, through the SupportACT clinics, will assist our patients not only at the time of diagnosis, but also at any point in their journey whether during treatment or in remission. The clinics are designed as drop-in sessions, focussed around topics, with discussion afterwards" he added.

One in three patients with cancer have challenges with mental health: up to 25% of cancer survivors suffer from depression and up to 45% with anxiety. 30.2% of breast cancer patients suffer from depression which, unsupported, results in a 25% increase in mortality rate. Source: Epidemiol Psychiatric Sciences. 2020; 29: e86. Published online 2020 Jan 9. doi: 10.1017/S2045796019000866 PMCID: PMC7214708 PMID: 31915100 Mental health care in oncology. Contemporary perspective on the psychosocial burden of cancer and evidence-based interventions R. Caruso1 and W. Breitbart2

About WellnessScript:

Pinky trained as an Occupational Therapist in Oxford, UK and did an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health at King's College London. She has worked in a variety of mental health settings in the past 30 years. Her last post in the National Health Service was as Head of Occupational Therapy in a Mental Health Unit at a London hospital.

Her focus now includes preventative work, as well as working with individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer and their relatives. Supporting individuals on their journey towards recovery as well as offering help to terminally ill patients and their families as they prepare for death, is a key aspect of her work. She runs bimonthly drop-in sessions, and provides psychological support on a 1:1 basis, for the members of a leukaemia charity. As a volunteer therapist for Cruse Bereavement Care, she provides counselling to children and young adults. She's an ACT practitioner and a DBT informed therapist. She uses a combination of therapies and mindfulness-based interventions. Her work helps individuals build on their strengths by helping them learn new skills, expand from their own experience and teach strategies to enable them to cope with their issues and develop better well-being habits.

The program will be offered virtually, twice a month. The program is open to anyone, not just Care Oncology patients and with times to allow global participation. Interested individuals can sign up at https://careoncology.com/mental-health-and-wellbeing-session/. Participants will pay directly for each session.

Care Oncology offers a supervised treatment regimen (the COC Protocol) for people diagnosed with cancer of any type or stage. Care Oncology has been treating cancer patients since 2013 using our patented COC Protocol™. It is an individualized therapeutic approach which seeks to simultaneously target multiple metabolic cancer pathways and is intended for adjunctive administration alongside standard-of-care cancer therapy. The aim is to restrict cancer cell energy supply and use.

In addition to the COC Protocol, Care Oncology offers the AVRT preventative program. All of the Care Oncology programs are managed by a multi-disciplinary team that is overseen by Oncologists and includes Nurse Practitioners and Metabolic Specialists.

About StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd.

StageZero Life Sciences, Ltd. is a company innovating on the forefront of screening for the early detection of cancer. StageZero combines its proprietary liquid biopsy multi-cancer detection test, Aristotle®, with Physician led clinical programs via Care Oncology, offering patients a unique treatment combination not found anywhere else.

Aristotle®, is the first ever mRNA multi-cancer panel for simultaneously screening for multiple cancers from a single sample of blood with high sensitivity and specificity for each cancer. Aristotle® uses mRNA technology to identify the molecular signatures of multiple cancer types.

Aristotle® is processed at the Company's clinical laboratory, StageZero Life Sciences, Inc., a CAP accredited and CLIA certified high-complexity reference laboratory in Richmond, Virginia.

StageZero Life Sciences trades on the Toronto Stock exchange under the symbol SZLS and on the OTCQB under the symbol SZLSF.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements identified by words such as "expects", "will" and similar expressions, which reflect the Company's current expectations regarding future events. The forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company's actual events to differ materially from those projected herein. Investors should consult the Company's ongoing quarterly filings and annual reports for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to these forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.

For further information please contact:

Investor Relations
Rebecca Greco
1-855-420-7140 ext. 1838
rgreco@stagezerols.com

SOURCE: StageZero Life Sciences Ltd