IsoRay Announces World's First Cesium-131 Seeded Mesh Treatment for Advanced Rectal Cancer
Cesium-131 Implant Provides the Needed Radiation to Treat This Deadly Cancer
Richland, WA, July 8, 2013 – (eTeligis via Accesswire) -- IsoRay Inc. (ISR) (http://www.Isoray.com), a medical technology company and innovator in seed brachytherapy and medical radioisotope applications, today announced another milestone in the treatment of rectal cancer using its groundbreaking Cesium-131 (Cs-131) seed sutured mesh for internal radiation therapy.
Drs. J. Steven Johnson of Lewis Hall Singletary Oncology Center and Alan S. Waller of South GA Surgical Associates and the John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital, Thomasville, Georgia, successfully completed the world's first pelvic floor implant using IsoRay Medical's Cesium-131 brachytherapy mesh. Cesium-131 seeded mesh is a form of cancer fighting radiation therapy that is implanted at the time of surgical removal of tumors and immediately attacks the residual cancer cells.
Dr. Johnson commented, "When rectal cancers become locally advanced, they recur frequently after surgery. Radiation is therefore performed, but the amount of radiation required to successfully treat the disease is often limited with existing technologies and has the potential to injure the patient. With the Cesium-131 seeded mesh we can get the optimal dose to the area of concern at the time of surgery which we think is a real benefit for the patient."
Recent innovations in cancer surgery have allowed surgeons to remove less healthy tissue than in years past. In these cases, however, radiation therapy becomes a critical addition to the treatment of the cancer. IsoRay Medical supplies multiple radiation based products that can be used at the time of surgery to deliver this needed radiation, ensuring direct irradiation of the cancer-involved target while minimizing the damaging effects of radiation on healthy tissues.
Dr. Johnson added, "We have had great success with Cesium-131 in treating prostate and lung cancers and continue to look for other applications such as these rectal cancers. We can be very confident that a high radiation dose is deposited right where the tumor was, and where cells may still be present. We like the short half-life of Cesium-131 for cancer-controlling reasons and for the convenience that it delivers for the patient."
IsoRay Chairman and CEO Dwight Babcock congratulated the pioneering cancer physicians, "We are very pleased to be working with innovative cancer physicians such as Drs. Johnson and Waller. We believe that collaboration between the radiation oncologist and the surgical oncologist offers patients the best possible treatment."
IsoRay is the exclusive manufacturer of Cesium-131. The pioneering brachytherapy therapy is one of the most significant advances in internal radiation therapy in 20 years. Cesium-131 allows for the precise treatment of many different cancers because of its unrivaled blend of high energy and its 9.7 day half-life (its unequaled speed in giving off therapeutic radiation).
IsoRay CEO Dwight Babcock says this is just the latest application in cancer treatment representing the continued expansion of use of the Company's pioneering Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds and liquid isotopes. "We are advancing our domestic and international goal of creating widespread awareness and adoption of Cesium-131. The exceptional results that have been realized in treating such a wide array of cancers are drawing an increasing number of inquiries from the medical community. We believe Cesium-131's ability to fight cancer and improve the quality of life for the men, women, and children who are battling these devastating cancers distinguishes it from other treatment options."
In addition to its CMS codes, Cesium-131 is FDA-cleared and holds a CE mark for international sales in seed form for the treatment of brain cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, ocular melanoma cancer, colorectal cancer, gynecologic cancer, head and neck cancer and other cancers throughout the body. The treatment can be deployed using several delivery methods including single seed applicators, implantable strands and seed sutured mesh, and several new implantable devices including the GliaSite(R) radiation therapy system, the world's only liquid radiation balloon catheter device used in the treatment of brain cancer.
About IsoRay
IsoRay, Inc., through its subsidiary, IsoRay Medical, Inc., is the sole producer of Cesium-131 brachytherapy seeds, which are expanding brachytherapy options throughout the body. Learn more about this innovative Richland, Washington company and explore the many benefits and uses of Cesium-131 by visiting www.isoray.com.
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Contact:
IsoRay Medical
(509) 375-1202
Safe Harbor Statement
Statements in this news release about IsoRay's future expectations, including: the advantages of our Cesium-131 seed, the advantages of Cesium-131 in mesh form, whether adoption of Cesium -131 will continue to increase, whether IsoRay will be able to continue to expand its base beyond prostate cancer, whether treatment of rectal cancer using Cesium-131 will be successful in this and future cases, and all other statements in this release, other than historical facts, are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 ("PSLRA"). This statement is included for the express purpose of availing IsoRay, Inc. of the protections of the safe harbor provisions of the PSLRA. It is important to note that actual results and ultimate corporate actions could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements based on such factors as physician acceptance, training and use of our products, our ability to successfully manufacture, market and sell our products, our ability to manufacture our products in sufficient quantities to meet demand within required delivery time periods while meeting our quality control standards, our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights, whether ongoing patient results with Cesium-131 are favorable and in line with the conclusions of clinical studies and initial patient results, patient results achieved when Cesium-131 is used for the treatment of cancers and malignant diseases beyond prostate, whether we, our distributors and our customers will successfully obtain and maintain all required regulatory approvals and licenses to market, sell and use Cesium-131 in its various forms, successful completion of future research and development activities, and other risks detailed from time to time in IsoRay's reports filed with the SEC.
SOURCE IsoRay, Inc.
