Cryoablation Is Focus of 17 Clinical Studies at American Urological Association Annual Meeting |
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By: Endocare, Inc. Posted: 2008-05-21 04:17:51 |
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Endocare, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENDO), an innovative medical device company focused on the development of minimally invasive technologies used by urologists and interventional radiologists for tissue and tumor ablation, announced today that cryoablation, a minimally invasive method of freezing cancerous tumors to destroy them, was the focus of 17 clinical studies presented at the six-day annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA) in Orlando, which is the largest urology meeting of the year.
Also, a total of six post-graduate educational courses and workshops related to cryoablation were sponsored by the AUA and, for the first time, the AUA adopted a specific set of prostate cancer clinical guidelines for cryoablation. A panel, led by Richard J. Babaian M.D. professor and senior medical director at M.D. Anderson Physician Network, announced a set of best practice statements for primary cryoablation, salvage cryoablation and focal cryoablation. "The positive outcomes cryoablation has had for thousands of patients were evident in a variety of clinical studies presented by leading physicians and researchers throughout this year's AUA annual meeting," said Endocare Chairman, CEO and President Craig T. Davenport. "The breadth of attention that the AUA now pays to cryoablation, including educational courses, workshops and the adoption of AUA-sponsored clinical guidelines, underscores the acceptance of cryoablation as a safe and effective, minimally invasive treatment for prostate cancer and kidney cancer." Highlights from the 17 studies include: -- A wide-ranging review of the outcomes of cryoablation in 2,558 primary prostate cancer patients showed efficacy of cryoablation in terms of biochemical survival and low morbidity. The average age of the patients, all part of the nationwide Cryo-On-Line Database (COLD) Registry, was 70 years and 419 of the patients had more than five years of follow-up. -- A 10-year, retrospective review of 78 patients at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center demonstrated the effectiveness of cryoablation for prostate cancer patients whose cancer returned after being originally treated with radiation. After 10 years, more than 80 percent of the patients were disease free after cryoablation and the investigators concluded that salvage cryoablation is curative in approximately one-third of patients at 10-year follow up. -- The first, multi-center study of focal, or partial gland, cryoablation for 341 prostate cancer patients demonstrated that more than half of the patients who were potent before the therapy were again potent after six months, and more than 74 percent resumed potency within 36 months. Focal cryoablation is designed to destroy the tumors in the prostate while sparing the nerves to retain potency. These patients are also part of the COLD Registry. -- An 88-patient Cleveland Clinic study of the long term disease-free survival rates (more than five years) of kidney cancer patients showed that laparoscopic kidney cryoablation is an effective treatment in select patients. The investigators determined that cancer-specific survival of 95 percent is possible at five years and 88 percent is possible at 10 years. -- Six AUA-sponsored courses and workshops related to cryoablation focused on prostate ultrasound, abdominal ultrasound, laparoscopic techniques, renal ablation, needle ablation of the kidney and cryoablation of the prostate. About Endocare Endocare, Inc. -- http://www.endocare.com -- is an innovative medical device company focused on the development of minimally invasive technologies for tissue and tumor ablation. Endocare has initially concentrated on developing technologies for the treatment of prostate cancer and believes that its proprietary technologies have broad applications across a number of markets, including the ablation of tumors in the kidney, lung and liver and palliative intervention (treatment of pain associated with metastases). Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those discussed in "Risk Factors" in the Company's Forms 10-K, Forms 10-Q, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such risk factors include, but are not limited to, uncertainty regarding the effects of the studies described in this press release and any future follow up data. The actual results that the Company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. The Company undertakes no obligation to revise, or update publicly, any forward-looking statements for any reason. Investor Contact: Matt Clawson Allen & Caron, Inc. (949) 474-4300 |
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